Antimicrobial resistance in surface waters — developing environmental monitoring for better risk management

This briefing outlines the need to monitor antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in Europe’s surface waters. It is relevant to the EU One Health Action Plan against AMR and water policies including the revised Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive. Eionet members highlighted key national priorities.

Key messages

• The role the aquatic environment plays in transmitting AMR to people and animals is poorly understood.
• Environmental monitoring of AMR is needed to complement existing human and animal health surveillance, and would enable a comprehensive One Health approach.
• Furthermore, monitoring can help identify AMR hotspots; assess the spread of AMR and vectors for transmission; inform on trends and emerging genes; track the effectiveness of interventions such as waste management; and strengthen our understanding of AMR-related risks.
• A working group of Eionet country representatives designed and tested the first approach, harmonised at European level, to measure AMR indicators in surface waters.
• This study identified priorities for establishing Europe-wide AMR monitoring in the aquatic environment. Top priority should be given to setting a clear objective, such as monitoring public health or effluent quality.
• Key issues remain. Methods are needed which allow data comparison between providers and include quality assurance, centralised reporting and the development of a catalogue of AMR indicators.