Spread of Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria in Iraqi River Waters: a comprehensive review

Water pollution has become one of the critical global health challenges and disease burdens, threatening human well-being across all nations and socioeconomic boundaries. The Iraqi Rivers have become severely polluted as a result of insufficient processing of municipal and industrial waste. The presence of human effluent in surface water could pose a threat, as it can carry antibiotic-resistant pathogenic bacteria in Iraqi rivers. Waterborne diseases continue to be among the most significant environmental threats to public health. This pollution is contributing to the endemic of waterborne infections, including cholera, typhoid, and several enteric infections. This review explores the prevalence of potentially antibiotic-resistant bacterial pathogens in Iraqi river systems. Additionally, it highlights the importance of modern culture-independent molecular diagnostic methods, such as quantitative PCR (qPCR), polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and metagenomics, in detecting antibiotic resistance genes and monitoring unculturable pathogens. The study suggests the urgent need for sustainable water management policies, advanced diagnostic technologies, and regular bacterial monitoring programs to suppress waterborne infections in Iraq.