Aquaculture as an Antibiotic Resistance Hotspot: Environmental Dissemination, One Health Impacts, and Novel Mitigation Strategies

The rapid expansion and intensification of global aquaculture have established it as a cornerstone of food security and economic growth. However, this growth has been heavily reliant on antimicrobial usage for disease control and prevention, turning aquaculture environments into critical hotspots for antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Aquatic ecosystems serve as dynamic evolutionary "melting pots" where continuous sub-lethal concentrations of antibiotics exert selective pressure, facilitating the enrichment and horizontal gene transfer (HGT) of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) among aquatic pathogens, environmental bacteria, and commensal organisms.Discharges from aquaculture facilities—containing active drug residues, resistant bacteria, and mobile genetic elements (MGEs)—frequently enter surrounding water bodies, sediment, and downstream food chains, posing a profound threat to environmental integrity and human health. Addressing this crisis requires an integrated One Health framework that bridges aquatic animal health, environmental microbiology, and clinical epidemiology.This Research Topic aims to compile cutting-edge research, critical reviews, and innovative technological solutions addressing the dynamics of AMR in aquaculture systems worldwide. By uniting interdisciplinary expertise, this collection seeks to unravel the mechanisms driving the aquatic resistome, evaluate human and environmental exposure risks, and showcase sustainable alternatives to conventional antimicrobials.Scope and Suggested ThemesWe welcome Original Research, Reviews, Mini-Reviews, Methods, Perspectives, and Opinion articles addressing, but not limited to, the following core themes:• The Aquatic Resistome & Molecular Drivers: Metagenomic, pangenomic, and high-throughput qPCR characterization of ARGs, integrons, and plasmids in farmed aquatic species, water, and sediment; co-selection mechanisms driven by heavy metals, microplastics, disinfectants, and sub-inhibitory antimicrobial concentrations; characterization of novel or mobilizable resistance determinants in key aquaculture pathogens (Aeromonas spp., Vibrio spp., Streptococcus spp., Pseudomonas spp., etc.).• Dissemination Dynamics & One Health Transmission Pathways: Tracking the fate and transport of multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria from aquaculture effluents into natural aquatic ecosystems and wildlife; zoonotic potential and transmission pathways of resistant pathogens to farm workers, local communities, and seafood consumers; epidemiological modeling and risk assessment of AMR spillover at the human-animal-environment interface.• Biomonitoring, Surveillance & Diagnostics: Standardized frameworks and novel molecular techniques for routine AMR surveillance in aquaculture operations; identification of universal environmental biomarkers for AMR contamination in marine and freshwater environments.• Mitigation Strategies & Sustainable Interventions: Development and field validation of non-antibiotic alternatives (e.g., autogenous vaccines, probiotics, synbiotics, phytogenics, and bacteriophage therapy); advanced wastewater and effluent treatment technologies for land-based systems (e.g., Recirculating Aquaculture Systems [RAS], advanced oxidation processes, UV/ozone disinfection); biosecurity improvements and host immune-modulation strategies to reduce reliance on therapeutics.• Policy, Regulation & Socioeconomic Perspectives: Evaluation of national and international stewardship programs, regulatory frameworks, and antimicrobial sales restrictions in aquaculture; socioeconomic assessments of adopting AMR-mitigation practices in small-scale versus industrial aquaculture settings. Topic editors: Genaro Diarte-Plata, Valeria Pasciu, WonJoon Jung, Ruth Escamilla Montes Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/84944/aquaculture-as-an-antibiotic-resistance-hotspot-environmental-dissemination-one-health-impacts-and-novel-mitigation-strategies