Browsing by Author "Zhang, Tong"
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- Antibiotic resistance genes in the human-impacted environment: a one health perspectivePublication . Tiedje, James M.; Wang, Fang; Manaia, Célia M.; Virta, Marko; Sheng, Hongjie; Ma, Liping; Zhang, Tong; Topp, EdwardAntibiotic resistance and its environmental component are gaining more attention as part of combating the growing healthcare crisis. The One Health framework, promulgated by many global health agencies, recognizes that antimicrobial resistance is a truly inter-domain problem in which human health, animal agriculture, and the environment are the core and interrelated components. This prospectus presents the status and issues relevant to the environmental component of antibiotic resistance, namely, the needs for advancing surveillance methodology: the environmental reservoirs and sources of resistance, namely, urban wastewater treatment plants, aquaculture production systems, soil receiving manure and biosolid, and the atmosphere which includes longer range dispersal. Recently, much work has been done describing antibiotic resistance genes in various environments; now quantitative, mechanistic, and hypothesis-driven studies are needed to identify practices that reduce real risks and maintain the effectiveness of our current antibiotics as long as possible. Advanced deployable detection methods for antibiotic resistance in diverse environmental samples are needed in order to provide the surveillance information to identify risks and define barriers that can reduce risks. Also needed are practices that reduce antibiotic use and thereby reduce selection for resistance, as well as practices that limit the dispersal of or destroy antibiotic-resistant bacteria or their resistance genes that are feasible for these varied environmental domains.
- Toward a comprehensive strategy to mitigate dissemination of environmental sources of antibiotic resistancePublication . Vikesland, Peter J.; Pruden, Amy; Alvarez, Pedro J. J.; Aga, Diana; Bürgmann, Helmut; Li, Xiang-dong; Manaia, Célia M.; Nambi, Indumath; Wigginton, Krista; Zhang, Tong; Zhu, Yong-GuanAntibiotic resistance is a pervasive global health threat. To combat the spread of resistance, it is necessary to consider all possible sources and understand the pathways and mechanisms by which resistance disseminates. Best management practices are urgently needed to provide barriers to the spread of resistance and maximize the lifespan of antibiotics as a precious resource. Herein we advise upon the need for coordinated national and international strategies, highlighting three essential components: (1) Monitoring, (2) Risk Assessment, and (3) Mitigation of antibiotic resistance. Central to all three components is What exactly to monitor, assess, and mitigate? We address this question within an environmental framework, drawing from fundamental microbial ecological processes driving the spread of resistance.
- Water and sanitation: an essential battlefront in the war on antimicrobial resistancePublication . Burgmann, Helmut; Frigon, Dominic; Gaze, William H.; Manaia, Célia M.; Pruden, Amy; Singer, Andrew C.; Smets, Barth F.; Zhang, TongWater and sanitation represent a key battlefront in combatting the spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Basic water sanitation infrastructure is an essential first step towards protecting public health, thereby limiting the spread of pathogens and the need for antibiotics. AMR presents unique human health risks, meriting new risk assessment frameworks specifically adapted to water and sanitation-borne AMR. There are numerous exposure routes to AMR originating from human waste, each of which must be quantified for its relative risk to human health. Wastewater treatment plants play a vital role in centralized collection and treatment of human sewage, but there are numerous unresolved issues in terms of the microbial ecological processes occurring within them and the extent to which they attenuate or amplify AMR. Research is needed to advance understanding of the fate of resistant bacteria and antibiotic resistance genes in various waste management systems, depending on the local constraints and intended reuse applications. World Health Organization and national AMR action plans would benefit from a more holistic ’One Water’ nderstanding. In this article we provide a framework for research, policy, practice and public engagement aimed at limiting the spread of AMR from water and sanitation in low-, medium- and high-income countries.