Antimicrobials and Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria: A Risk to the Environment and to Public Health

TLDR

The widespread release and misuse of antibiotics generates persistent residues in ecosystems, amplifying environmental contamination and human health risks amid a surge in drug‑resistant infections. The review tracks antimicrobial distribution pathways, evaluates subinhibitory biological effects, and assesses public health risks and policy needs. The authors examine environmental pathways and subinhibitory concentration effects across different compartments.

Abstract

The release of antibiotics to the environment, and the consequences of the presence of persistent antimicrobial residues in ecosystems, have been the subject of numerous studies in all parts of the world. The overuse and misuse of antibiotics is a common global phenomenon, which substantially increases the levels of antibiotics in the environment and the rates of their spread. Today, it can be said with certainty that the mass production and use of antibiotics for purposes other than medical treatment has an impact on both the environment and human health. This review aims to track the pathways of the environmental distribution of antimicrobials and identify the biological effects of their subinhibitory concentration in different environmental compartments; it also assesses the associated public health risk and government policy interventions needed to ensure the effectiveness of existing antimicrobials. The recent surge in interest in this issue has been driven by the dramatic increase in the number of infections caused by drug-resistant bacteria worldwide. Our study is in line with the global One Health approach.