Iris Publishers- Open access Journal of Agriculture and Soil Science | Chronic Exposure and the Risk of Building Antibiotic Resistance in Rural Communities of the Developing World

Authored by Mark Coyne 

Antibiotic resistance is a global issue, not least the question if resistance is intrinsic, acquired, or adaptive. The current scenario demands investigations to detect resistance in environments from the urban/rural nexus. The complexity of antibiotic resistance in the environment is linked with the characteristics of recipient compartments in various environmental systems. Much research focuses on resistance in point sources (hotspots) of exposure, but after release the risk of antibiotics affecting humans is quite complex. Dispersion, dilution, and concentration reduction are part of the natural cycle required to examine the fate of antibiotics in the environment. Antibiotic residues at any stage threaten public health no matter if they cause acute exposure or because of much lower concentrations persisting in sediments, soils, irrigation waters, groundwater, aerosols, and produce where they may reflect chronic exposure. In either case, human exposure is undeniable with differential impact. In view of local constraints and unintended feedback we propose a research agenda to enhance understanding the future of exposure intensity and the fate and synergistic effect of antibiotics released into the environment in developing resistance. We advocate the need to investigate sub-lethal antibiotic concentrations and human populations aimed at limiting the acute and chronic public exposure to antibiotic residues and resistant microbes from soil and water among occupational groups and rural population inhabiting resource-limited settings.  The benefits of antibiotic use cannot be overemphasized; they certainly outweigh the harm associated with their side effects. However, when antibiotics are abused or overused, that harm increases manifold with no benefit. Global antibiotic production for human use is a $40 billion-ayear industry. Approximately 250 to 300 tons year of antibiotics are used in human medicine and a much greater amount of antibiotics are produced for livestock and aquaculture. To fulfill ever increasing human demands, huge amounts of antibiotics are produced worldwide, with projections for additionally expanded production in the future [1]. It is estimated that global antibiotic use will rise to 105,596 tons year–1 in 2030, with China the largest consumer followed by the US, Brazil, Mexico, and India [2]. This increase reflects their broadened use for treating genuine contamination identified with human well-being and welfare, and for advancing and developing disease aversion in domesticated animals. In particular, low- and middle-income countries showed increased antibiotic use between 2000 and 2015 (+39%) which suggests an alarming projection for a 200% rise globally by 2030.

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