Antibiotic pollution pathways and biosensor intervention for effective monitoring and control of antimicrobial resistance.

Abstract

Antibiotics are used to treat both humans and animals for both preventive and therapeutic purposes. The overreliance on and misuse of antibiotics has given rise to a stealth pandemic, known as antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Globally, they pose a significant threat to human, animal, and environmental health. Surveillance of antibiotic residues in the environment, especially in wastewater, for tackling AMR can be a potent way to tackle deaths associated with AMR. Aquatic ecosystems are ideal habitats for the dissemination of AMR because they are frequently impacted by anthropogenic activities. Nearly half of the world's population resides in rural areas, which lack the infrastructure and resources necessary to manage wastewater effectively and sustainably. In the past decade, there has been no significant addition of new antibiotics. In this review, we discuss emerging enzyme-based biosensor technologies for on-site and rapid determination of antibiotics in the environment, with a focus on optical, electrochemical, and thermometric methods of detection.