About this Research Topic
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has been identified as one of the world’s major public health issues. Due to the overuse or misuse of antimicrobials (AM) in the livestock industry, agricultural environments such as air, manure, wastewater from livestock farms and farmland soil have become large reservoirs of AMR genes and bacteria. The occurrence and diversity of AMR genes and bacteria in agricultural environments have been studied extensively. However, the underlying mechanisms of AMR transmission in agricultural ecosystems and the factors affecting this process remain largely unknown. This restricts our ability to impose better control and management measures towards limiting the dissemination of AMR genes and bacteria in agricultural ecosystems and beyond.
In this Research Topic, we intend to address several issues of AMR in agricultural ecosystems:
(1) What are the characteristics of airborne AMR bacteria and genes in livestock farms with different management practices?
(2) Which AMR bacteria and genes are most likely to be transmitted from manure to air in livestock farms?
(3) What are the factors that contribute to the horizontal transfer of AMR genes during livestock manure and wastewater treatments?
(4) What are the mechanisms of migration of AMR genes in soil-plant ecosystems?
(5) What is the role of bacteriophages in AMR in agricultural environments?
(6) Which regulatory measures could be implemented to protect farmers and consumers from the dissemination of AMR genes and bacteria?
(7) Which technical solutions could minimize these risks in an economically feasible manner?
We welcome submissions in all acceptable formats. Specific themes include, but are not limited to:
• AM resistome in the air, manure, and wastewater of livestock farms;
• AM resistome in different soil-plant ecosystems;
• Transmission mechanisms of AMR genes and bacteria in soil-plant ecosystems, livestock manure, and agricultural wastewater treatment;
• Innovative technologies and strategies to control the dissemination of AMR in livestock farms, during the treatment of agricultural manure and wastewater, and in farmland application of manure and waste;
• Risk assessment of AMR genes and bacteria in agricultural environments.
In this Research Topic, we intend to address several issues of AMR in agricultural ecosystems:
(1) What are the characteristics of airborne AMR bacteria and genes in livestock farms with different management practices?
(2) Which AMR bacteria and genes are most likely to be transmitted from manure to air in livestock farms?
(3) What are the factors that contribute to the horizontal transfer of AMR genes during livestock manure and wastewater treatments?
(4) What are the mechanisms of migration of AMR genes in soil-plant ecosystems?
(5) What is the role of bacteriophages in AMR in agricultural environments?
(6) Which regulatory measures could be implemented to protect farmers and consumers from the dissemination of AMR genes and bacteria?
(7) Which technical solutions could minimize these risks in an economically feasible manner?
We welcome submissions in all acceptable formats. Specific themes include, but are not limited to:
• AM resistome in the air, manure, and wastewater of livestock farms;
• AM resistome in different soil-plant ecosystems;
• Transmission mechanisms of AMR genes and bacteria in soil-plant ecosystems, livestock manure, and agricultural wastewater treatment;
• Innovative technologies and strategies to control the dissemination of AMR in livestock farms, during the treatment of agricultural manure and wastewater, and in farmland application of manure and waste;
• Risk assessment of AMR genes and bacteria in agricultural environments.
Keywords: livestock farms, manure and wastewater, soils-plant systems, microbiome, antimicrobial resistance
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
