Europe-wide monitoring for antimicrobial resistance in surface waters can help improve data on health risks

The monitoring of antimicrobial resistance in surface waters is needed to assess the risks of transmission of resistance to humans, the EEA briefing 'Antimicrobial resistance in surface waters' says. With AMR in the environment now recognised as a key part of the EU’s One Health Action Plan, and new EU rules like the revised Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive requiring monitoring from 2030, countries need to establish monitoring programmes for this newly identified risk in water. 

Antibiotics and antibiotic-resistant bacteria occur naturally in the environment, but main drivers are from human and veterinary use of antibiotics. Discharges from pharmaceutical industries, urban wastewater and treated sewage sludge, and agricultural manures and waste can spread antibiotic resistance into the environment.

Natural environments can act as reservoirs for resistant microorganisms and drive the development and selection of antibiotic resistance genes. The transfer of these genes between microorganisms is a natural process, though it can be enhanced by human activities, and factors such as pollution and temperature, according to the EEA briefing.

Evidence suggests that antimicrobial resistance in the environment could drive the development and spread of resistance, putting human and animal health at risk.