A new publication from GBADs written by Christina Fastl, Helena C. De Carvalho Ferreira (Fisheries and Food), Sara Babo Martins, João Sucena Afonso, Carlotta di Bari, Narmada Venkateswaran, Sara Monteiro Pires (National Food Institute), Lapo Mughuin-Gras (Centre for Infectious Disease Control), Ben Huntington, Jonathan Rushton, David Pigott, and Brecht Devleesschauwer is now available here. 

Abstract

Bacterial antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is among the leading global health challenges of the century. Animals and their products are known contributors to the human AMR burden, but the extent of this contribution is not clear. This systematic literature review aimed to identify studies investigating the direct impact of animal sources, defined as livestock, aquaculture, pets, and animal-based food, on human AMR. We searched four scientific databases and identified 31 relevant publications, including 12 risk assessments, 16 source attribution studies, and three other studies. Most studies were published between 2012 and 2022, and most came from Europe and North America, but we also identified five articles from South and South-East Asia. The studies differed in their methodologies, conceptual approaches (bottom-up, top-down, and complex), definitions of the AMR hazard and outcome, the number and type of sources they addressed, and the outcome measures they reported. The most frequently addressed animal source was chicken, followed by cattle and pigs. Most studies investigated bacteria–resistance combinations. Overall, studies on the direct contribution of animal sources of AMR are rare but increasing. More recent publications tailor their methodologies increasingly towards the AMR hazard as a whole, providing grounds for future research to build on.

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