Improving the risk assessment of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) along the food/feed chain and from environmental reservoirs using qMRA and probabilistic modelling

Abstract Efficient risk assessment of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in environmental reservoirs, particularly agroecosystems, is critical for predicting threats to animal and human health due to infections unresponsive to antibiotic therapy. However, approaches currently employed for the risk asses...

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Main Authors: M Niegowska, M Wögerbauer
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2022-05-01
Series:EFSA Journal
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2022.e200407
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author M Niegowska
M Wögerbauer
author_facet M Niegowska
M Wögerbauer
author_sort M Niegowska
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Efficient risk assessment of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in environmental reservoirs, particularly agroecosystems, is critical for predicting threats to animal and human health due to infections unresponsive to antibiotic therapy. However, approaches currently employed for the risk assessment of AMR along the human food chain rarely rely on antibiotic resistance gene (ARG) environmental pathways connected to food production and related quantitative data. The present project aimed at improving the risk assessment related to the spread of AMR along the food/feed chain based on ARG quantification in agroecosystems and interconnected environments. The fellow received training and worked in close cooperation with the team on two ongoing research projects which involved: (i) the monitoring of ARGs in field soils and surface waters to identify and characterise food/feed chain‐associated environmental reservoirs of AMR relevant at the national level; (ii) the evaluation of ARG dynamics in relation to agricultural practice within an international project assessing biodiversity as an ecological barrier for the spread of clinically relevant ARGs in the environment. ARG quantification was performed using single/multiplex real‐time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with tailor‐made primers/probe sets according to in‐house optimised and validated conditions. The assessment was completed by a comprehensive revision of available literature data for risk‐ranking of ARGs along with a literature review exploring AMR quantitative knowledge gaps and the role of certain AMR determinants encoded on free extracellular DNA (exDNA) in their environmental spread.
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spelling doaj.art-7fef04e41e4a4ea1b6c4b9cb9be541cf2022-12-22T00:30:51ZengWileyEFSA Journal1831-47322022-05-0120S1n/an/a10.2903/j.efsa.2022.e200407Improving the risk assessment of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) along the food/feed chain and from environmental reservoirs using qMRA and probabilistic modellingM Niegowska0M Wögerbauer1Division of Integrative Risk Assessment Data‐Statistics‐Risk Assessment AGES Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety Vienna AustriaDivision of Integrative Risk Assessment Data‐Statistics‐Risk Assessment AGES Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety Vienna AustriaAbstract Efficient risk assessment of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in environmental reservoirs, particularly agroecosystems, is critical for predicting threats to animal and human health due to infections unresponsive to antibiotic therapy. However, approaches currently employed for the risk assessment of AMR along the human food chain rarely rely on antibiotic resistance gene (ARG) environmental pathways connected to food production and related quantitative data. The present project aimed at improving the risk assessment related to the spread of AMR along the food/feed chain based on ARG quantification in agroecosystems and interconnected environments. The fellow received training and worked in close cooperation with the team on two ongoing research projects which involved: (i) the monitoring of ARGs in field soils and surface waters to identify and characterise food/feed chain‐associated environmental reservoirs of AMR relevant at the national level; (ii) the evaluation of ARG dynamics in relation to agricultural practice within an international project assessing biodiversity as an ecological barrier for the spread of clinically relevant ARGs in the environment. ARG quantification was performed using single/multiplex real‐time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with tailor‐made primers/probe sets according to in‐house optimised and validated conditions. The assessment was completed by a comprehensive revision of available literature data for risk‐ranking of ARGs along with a literature review exploring AMR quantitative knowledge gaps and the role of certain AMR determinants encoded on free extracellular DNA (exDNA) in their environmental spread.https://doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2022.e200407antimicrobial resistanceantibiotic resistance genesARGextracellular DNArisk assessmentagroecosystem
spellingShingle M Niegowska
M Wögerbauer
Improving the risk assessment of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) along the food/feed chain and from environmental reservoirs using qMRA and probabilistic modelling
EFSA Journal
antimicrobial resistance
antibiotic resistance genes
ARG
extracellular DNA
risk assessment
agroecosystem
title Improving the risk assessment of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) along the food/feed chain and from environmental reservoirs using qMRA and probabilistic modelling
title_full Improving the risk assessment of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) along the food/feed chain and from environmental reservoirs using qMRA and probabilistic modelling
title_fullStr Improving the risk assessment of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) along the food/feed chain and from environmental reservoirs using qMRA and probabilistic modelling
title_full_unstemmed Improving the risk assessment of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) along the food/feed chain and from environmental reservoirs using qMRA and probabilistic modelling
title_short Improving the risk assessment of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) along the food/feed chain and from environmental reservoirs using qMRA and probabilistic modelling
title_sort improving the risk assessment of antimicrobial resistance amr along the food feed chain and from environmental reservoirs using qmra and probabilistic modelling
topic antimicrobial resistance
antibiotic resistance genes
ARG
extracellular DNA
risk assessment
agroecosystem
url https://doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2022.e200407
work_keys_str_mv AT mniegowska improvingtheriskassessmentofantimicrobialresistanceamralongthefoodfeedchainandfromenvironmentalreservoirsusingqmraandprobabilisticmodelling
AT mwogerbauer improvingtheriskassessmentofantimicrobialresistanceamralongthefoodfeedchainandfromenvironmentalreservoirsusingqmraandprobabilisticmodelling