Antimicrobial compounds have been used to control and prevent bacterial infections in different systems including humans, food animals, companion animals and plants/ crops. However, efficacy of antimicrobials has been threatened due to antimicrobial resistance which has ultimately become a public health crisis on a global scale. To mitigate the effect of antimicrobial resistance, a One Health approach has been initiated that underscores the importance of collaboration between clinical, veterinary and environmental disciplines to improve overall health outcomes in each system. Research on antimicrobial resistance has primarily focused on humans and animals; much less has been reported on the contribution of the environment, including water, to transmission, dissemination and persistence of resistant bacteria. Maintenance and preservation of safe water for human and agricultural use are critical to minimize spread of disease and protect public health. Water quality can be defined in terms of microbial and/or chemical pollutants. Bacterial pathogens, such as Campylobacter, Escherichia coli, Salmonella, Shigella and Vibrio, are common and widespread microbial hazards of water often originating from the gastrointestinal tract of the very sources (humans, livestock and wildlife) that have the greatest need for the water. These microbial pollutants have historically been evaluated using faecal indicator organisms notably enterococci, commensal E. coli and Clostridium perfringens. Anthropogenic chemicals also appear to be widespread and stable in water sources and their overall impact on the environment is yet unknown. The combination of both types of pollutants increases the impact of disease caused by waterborne pathogens by contributing to development of antimicrobial resistance in those microbes. In addition to transfer of antimicrobial-resistant pathogens from polluted water to humans and animals via eating, drinking, inhalation or physical contact, antimicrobial-resistant waterborne pathogens also contaminate fish and other seafood rendering then unsafe for consumption. Often overlooked is fish for industrial purposes such as ornamental fish breeding. Humans handle these aquatic animals for home or commercial aquariums and ponds unaware of the risk of contracting serious infections that may be resistant to antimicrobials used for treatment. Even with the rising evidence of the hazards of antimicrobial-resistant pathogens in water and risk of transfer of antibiotic resistance, there is a paucity of data on this subject in the published literature. As investigation of the role of aquatic ecosystems in the dissemination of pathogenic antimicrobial-resistant bacteria to various hosts is greatly needed to define implications of this exposure, this special issue of Letters in Applied Microbiology focuses on the latest discoveries serving to expand the knowledge of the important topic of antimicrobial-resistant pathogens in water. This series of articles examines phenotypic and genotypic resistance to medically important antimicrobials, virulence attributes and impact of resistant pathogens on various aquatic animals and water systems. These studies aim to provide a basic understanding of the characteristics of antimicrobial-resistant pathogens in water to define effective mitigation strategies to combat these microbes.

中文翻译：

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水中抗微生物病原体

抗菌化合物已被用于控制和预防不同系统中的细菌感染，包括人类、食用动物、伴侣动物和植物/作物。然而，由于抗菌素耐药性最终成为全球范围的公共卫生危机，抗菌素的功效受到威胁。为了减轻抗菌素耐药性的影响，已经启动了一种健康方法，该方法强调了临床、兽医和环境学科之间合作的重要性，以改善每个系统的整体健康结果。抗菌素耐药性的研究主要集中在人类和动物身上；关于包括水在内的环境对耐药细菌的传播、传播和持续存在的贡献的报道要少得多。维护和保存供人类和农业使用的安全用水对于最大限度地减少疾病传播和保护公众健康至关重要。水质可以根据微生物和/或化学污染物来定义。弯曲杆菌、大肠杆菌、沙门氏菌、志贺氏菌和弧菌等细菌病原体是常见且广泛存在的水微生物危害，通常源自对水需求最大的来源（人类、牲畜和野生动物）的胃肠道。这些微生物污染物历来使用粪便指示生物进行评估，特别是肠球菌、共生大肠杆菌和产气荚膜梭菌。人为化学物质似乎也广泛存在于水源中且稳定，它们对环境的总体影响尚不清楚。这两种污染物的结合会导致这些微生物产生抗微生物药物耐药性，从而增加了由水源性病原体引起的疾病的影响。除了通过进食、饮水、吸入或身体接触将抗微生物病原体从受污染的水中转移到人类和动物身上外，抗微生物的水传播病原体还会污染鱼类和其他海产品，从而导致食用不安全。经常被忽视的是用于工业目的的鱼类，例如观赏鱼养殖。人类在家庭或商业水族馆和池塘中处理这些水生动物，却没有意识到感染可能对用于治疗的抗菌剂产生抗药性的严重感染的风险。尽管越来越多的证据表明水中抗微生物病原体的危害和抗生素抗性转移的风险，但已发表的文献中关于这个主题的数据很少。由于非常需要调查水生生态系统在将致病性抗微生物细菌传播给各种宿主中的作用来确定这种暴露的影响，因此本期《应用微生物学快报》特刊重点关注最新发现，以扩大对微生物的认识。水中抗微生物病原体的重要课题。本系列文章探讨了对医学上重要的抗微生物药物的表型和基因型耐药性、毒力属性以及耐药病原体对各种水生动物和水系统的影响。