One Health Approach to Resistance

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One Health & AMR Intro - AMR's Triple Threat

  • One Health: Interconnected health of humans, animals, and the environment. Essential for AMR control.
  • AMR's Triple Threat:
    • Humans: ↑ infections, treatment failures, mortality, healthcare costs.
    • Animals: ↓ productivity, animal welfare; potential for zoonotic spread of resistant pathogens.
    • Environment: Acts as a reservoir and dissemination route for resistant bacteria and antibiotic resistance genes. One Health triad: human, animal, environment in AMR

⭐ The WHO has declared AMR as one of the top 10 global public health threats facing humanity.

Human Sector AMR - Hospital Hotbeds

  • Hospitals: Key AMR epicenters due to:

    • High density of vulnerable, often immunocompromised, patients.
    • Intensive antimicrobial use, creating strong selection pressure.
    • Frequent invasive procedures & medical devices (e.g., catheters, ventilators).
  • Major Drivers of AMR in Hospitals:

    • Suboptimal Infection Prevention & Control (IPC) practices (e.g., hand hygiene lapses, inadequate environmental sanitation).
    • Over-prescription, incorrect dosage, or inappropriate duration of antibiotics.
    • Presence and transmission of multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs).
    • Biofilm formation on indwelling medical devices.
  • Common Hospital-Acquired MDROs: MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus), VRE (Vancomycin-resistant Enterococci), ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae (e.g., E. coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae), CRE (Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae), MDR-Acinetobacter baumannii, MDR-Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

⭐ Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) infections are a critical concern, associated with high mortality rates (often >50%) and limited therapeutic options.

  • Control Strategies: Robust Antimicrobial Stewardship Programs (ASP) and strict adherence to IPC measures are paramount for containment.

Animal Sector AMR - Farm-to-Fork Peril

  • Livestock Antibiotic Use:
    • Growth promotion (historical/illicit), prophylaxis, therapy.
    • Leads to selection pressure for resistant strains.
  • Transmission Pathways:
    • Direct contact: Animal-to-human (farmers, vets).
    • Foodborne: Contaminated meat, dairy, eggs.
    • Environmental: Manure → soil/water → crops.
  • Key Resistant Zoonotic Pathogens:
    • Salmonella spp., Campylobacter spp.
    • ESBL-E. coli, LA-MRSA (Livestock-Associated MRSA).

⭐ Colistin resistance (e.g., via mcr-1 gene) in E. coli from food animals is a major global concern due to its role as a last-resort antibiotic.

AMR spread from farm animals to humans via food chain

Environmental AMR - Silent Spreaders

  • Major Contamination Sources:
    • Untreated/poorly treated wastewater (hospitals, communities, pharmaceutical manufacturing).
    • Agricultural runoff (livestock manure, aquaculture discharge).
  • Dissemination Pathways:
    • Water bodies (rivers, lakes, groundwater) → drinking water, irrigation.
    • Soil → crop contamination.
    • Wildlife acting as vectors.
  • Key Drivers & Components:
    • Sub-inhibitory antibiotic concentrations select for resistant strains.
    • Presence of resistant bacteria & Antibiotic Resistance Genes (ARGs).
    • Horizontal Gene Transfer (HGT) via Mobile Genetic Elements (MGEs) like plasmids. AMR spread through environment

⭐ Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), especially those receiving hospital or pharmaceutical effluent, are significant hotspots for the selection and dissemination of ARGs into aquatic environments globally, including India.

One Health Interventions - India's AMR Battleplan

India's National Action Plan on AMR (NAP-AMR) adopts a One Health approach, integrating human, animal, and environmental sectors. Key interventions focus on strengthening surveillance, antimicrobial stewardship (AMS), infection prevention & control (IPC), and regulating antibiotic use in livestock and agriculture.

⭐ NAP-AMR was launched in 2017 to combat AMR across India.

High‑Yield Points - ⚡ Biggest Takeaways

  • One Health links human, animal, and environmental health to combat Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR).
  • It demands a collaborative, multisectoral approach (human, veterinary, environmental).
  • Antimicrobial overuse in humans, agriculture, and environmental contamination are key drivers.
  • AMR spreads via the food chain, direct contact, and contaminated environments.
  • Integrated surveillance and antimicrobial stewardship across sectors are vital interventions.
  • The WHO's Global Action Plan (GAP) on AMR champions this unified strategy.

Practice Questions: One Health Approach to Resistance

Test your understanding with these related questions

Which of the following is NOT a core component of the WHO's global STI control strategy?

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Flashcards: One Health Approach to Resistance

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Tube and Agar dilution method are _____ methods to test antibiotic sensitivity.

TAP TO REVEAL ANSWER

Tube and Agar dilution method are _____ methods to test antibiotic sensitivity.

dilution

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