prepared by Rémi Gschwind

The AMR digest from November features studies on antibiotic perception, consumption and also how the environment can influence AMR diffusion. Fundamental microbiology linked to AMR is also part of this month digest including subjects such as bacterial cell wall or biofilm. Different environments are also discussed within the papers on natural habitat and animals or water environments. Finally, there’s a special highlight on antibiotic resistance in cancer patient in this “movember” month.

Global

Global antibiotic consumption and usage in humans, 2000-18: a spatial modelling study – Annie J Browne – The Lancet
*This article describes how antibiotic is consumed globally. Thanks to individual level data and geostatistical model they could estimate antibiotic usage and consumption in 204 countries from 2000 to 2018. Beside large increases in the consumption of different classes of antibiotics in several regions, lack of access to antibiotics still seems to be a problem in other regions. Having those estimation, strategies can be thought to adapt the combat against antibiotic resistance increase.

‘They eat it like sweets’: A mixed methods study of antibiotic perceptions and their use among patients, prescribers and pharmacists in a district hospital in Kabul, Afghanistan – Doris Burtscher – PlosOne

What Is the Role of the Environment in the Emergence of Novel Antibiotic Resistance Genes? A Modeling Approach – Johan Bengtsson-Palme -Environmental Science and Technology

Trends, relationships and case attribution of antibiotic resistance between children and environmental sources in rural India – Joseph Mitchell – Scientific Reports

Fundamental microbiology

Colistin resistance in Escherichia coli confers protection of the cytoplasmic but not outer membrane from the polymixin antibiotic – Madeleine Humphrey – Microbiology Society

Microniches in biofilm depth are hot-spots fro antibiotic resistance acquisition in response to in situ stress – Linda Tlili – bioRxiv

The vulnerable versatility of Salmonella antibiotic persisters during infection – Peter W.S. Hill – Cell Host & Microbe

The role of potentiating mutations in the evolution of pandemic Escherichia coli clones – Elizabeth A. Cummins – European Journal of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases

Phase separation in the outer membrane of Escherichia coli Georgina Benn – PNAS

Human associated resistome

Metagenomic analysis of microbial communities and antibiotic resistance genes in spoiled household chemicals – Gang Zhou – Chemosphere

Risks of antibiotic resistance genes and antimicrobial resistance under chlorination disinfection with public health concerns – Liping Ma – Environment International

Multidrug resistance dynamics in Salmonella in food animals in the United States: An analysis of genomes from public databases – João Pires – Microbiology Spectrum

Natural Habitat & Animals

Antibiotic resistance in the environment – D. G. Joakim Larsson and Carl-Fredrik Flack – Nature Reviews Microbiology

The myth of antibiotic spider silk – Simon Fruergaard – iScience

Metagenomic strategies identify diverse integron-integrase and antibiotic resistance genes in the Antartic environment – Verónica Antelo – Microbiology Open

Gacier-fed stream biofilmsz harbour diverse resistomes and biosynthetic gene clusters – Sussheel Bhanu Busi – bioRxiv

Water environment & Waste water

Mobilome-driven segregation of the resistome in biological wastewater treatment – Laura de Nies – bioRxiv

Wastewater bypass is a major temporary point-source of antibiotic resistance genes and multi-resistance risk factors in a Swiss river – Jangwoo Lee – Water Research

AMR & diseases

Antibiotic inhibition of the Plasmodium apicoplast decreases haemoglobin degradation and antagonises dihydroartemisinin action – Emily M. Crisafulli – bioRxiv

Antibiotic resistance in the patient with cancer: Escalating challenges and paths forward – Amila K Nanayakkara – CA: a cancer journal for clinicians
*In this interesting review, Nanayakkara and colleagues are discussing the impact of antimicrobial resistance on patient with cancer lifespan. Infection is one of the leading complications in patient with cancer and antimicrobial resistance is related to unfavorable outcomes. Several strategies are discussed to prevent antimicrobial resistant strain outbreak in patient with cancer.