About this Research Topic
The World Health Organization considers antimicrobial resistance (AMR) to be one of the most important threats to global public health and development. Whilst a strong focus on AMR has been on antibiotic resistance in bacteria; bacterial resistance to other antimicrobials has been associated with antibiotic resistance. Understanding what drivers there are in promoting antibiotic resistance beyond the clearly understood overuse, misuse and environmental pollution by antibiotics, and the biological pollution of environments by antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARB) and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), is important. This is particularly the case in understanding what may be promoting or selecting for resistance in environments across the One Health space.
This Research Topic will focus on the role that toxic and essential metals, non-antibiotic antimicrobials, xenobiotics, and other pollutants such as microplastics may play in promoting AMR in bacteria.
The widespread use of non-antibiotic antimicrobials, such as metals, biocides, and disinfectants, is unregulated, or less regulated, than antibiotic use. These antimicrobials are used clinically, in agriculture, industry, and in households and are frequently released into the environment, alongside xenobiotics, microplastics and other manufactured compounds. There is evidence that these materials may have a role in promoting AMR.
The main areas this Research Topic is focused on are studies that investigate the occurrence, diversity and dynamics of AMR, metal, biocide and disinfectant resistance and the mobile genetic elements (MGEs) that carry them, across all microbial ecosystems. This Research Topic will examine to what extent cross-resistance, co-carriage, and co-selection may play in promoting the carriage and spread of antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARB) and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs).
The topic editors strongly encourage contributions of research articles, reviews/mini-reviews, methods, and other article formats accepted in the Antimicrobials, Resistance and Chemotherapy section, which address the following areas:
1. AMR including resistance to non-antibiotic antimicrobials in clinical, food, agriculture, wildlife, and One Health settings.
2. AMR including resistance to non-antibiotic antimicrobials in pristine through to contaminated environments, such as soil and aquatic ecosystems.
3. Studies on the role of co-selection, co-occurrence and cross-resistance to antibiotics and other antimicrobials and metals.
4. Studies on the role that anthropogenic, and naturally occurring xenobiotics as well as other environmental pollutants play in promoting AMR.
This Research Topic will focus on the role that toxic and essential metals, non-antibiotic antimicrobials, xenobiotics, and other pollutants such as microplastics may play in promoting AMR in bacteria.
The widespread use of non-antibiotic antimicrobials, such as metals, biocides, and disinfectants, is unregulated, or less regulated, than antibiotic use. These antimicrobials are used clinically, in agriculture, industry, and in households and are frequently released into the environment, alongside xenobiotics, microplastics and other manufactured compounds. There is evidence that these materials may have a role in promoting AMR.
The main areas this Research Topic is focused on are studies that investigate the occurrence, diversity and dynamics of AMR, metal, biocide and disinfectant resistance and the mobile genetic elements (MGEs) that carry them, across all microbial ecosystems. This Research Topic will examine to what extent cross-resistance, co-carriage, and co-selection may play in promoting the carriage and spread of antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARB) and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs).
The topic editors strongly encourage contributions of research articles, reviews/mini-reviews, methods, and other article formats accepted in the Antimicrobials, Resistance and Chemotherapy section, which address the following areas:
1. AMR including resistance to non-antibiotic antimicrobials in clinical, food, agriculture, wildlife, and One Health settings.
2. AMR including resistance to non-antibiotic antimicrobials in pristine through to contaminated environments, such as soil and aquatic ecosystems.
3. Studies on the role of co-selection, co-occurrence and cross-resistance to antibiotics and other antimicrobials and metals.
4. Studies on the role that anthropogenic, and naturally occurring xenobiotics as well as other environmental pollutants play in promoting AMR.
Keywords: Environmental pollutants, Cross-resistance, Co-selection, Sub-lethal doses, Microbial Communities, Stress conditions, Antibiotic Resistance Genes (ARGs), ARGs evolution, Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria (ARB), Horizontal Gene Transfer (HGT)
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.
