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Updated: Sep 9, 2025

Author Spotlight: Understanding and Detecting Environmental Antimicrobial Resistance by Combining Culture-Based Techniques and Genomics
Published on: July 19, 2024
Antibiotics and Antibiotic Resistance Genes in the Environment: Dissemination, Ecological Risks, and Remediation
Zhaomeng Wu1,2, Xiaohou Shao1, Qilin Wang1,2
1College of Agricultural Science and Engineering, Hohai University, Nanjing 211100, China.
Abstract:
Global antibiotic use saturates ecosystems with selective pressure, driving mobile genetic element (MGE)-mediated antibiotic resistance gene (ARG) dissemination that destabilizes ecological integrity and breaches public health defenses. This review synthesizes the sources, environmental distribution, and ecological risks of antibiotics and ARGs, emphasizing the mechanisms of horizontal gene transfer (HGT) driven by MGEs such as plasmids, transposons, and integrons. We further conduct a comparative critical analysis of the effectiveness and limitations of antibiotics and ARGs remediation strategies for adsorption (biochar, activated carbon, carbon nanotubes), chemical degradation (advanced oxidation processes, Fenton-based systems), and biological treatment (microbial degradation, constructed wetlands). To effectively curb the spread of antimicrobial resistance and safeguard the sustainability of ecosystems, we propose an integrated "One Health" framework encompassing enhanced global surveillance (antibiotic residues and ARGs dissemination) as well as public education.
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