Environmental surveillance of antimicrobial resistance: the missing pillar in Europe’s One Health strategy

Abstract The presence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) determinants in the environment enables their dissemination and transfer from and into human microbiomes. Environmental surveillance is a recognized cornerstone for evaluating, understanding, and mitigating emergence and exposure to resistant pathogens. However, despite its growing recognition within European One Health frameworks, environmental surveillance has not yet evolved into a systematic, transmission-oriented approach capable of elucidating pathways of transfer to human pathogens or identifying critical intervention nodes. While human and animal surveillance systems are increasingly harmonized across Europe, environmental AMR data remains fragmented, gathered in a methodologically inconsistent manner, and consequently often treated as unimportant. We argue that environmental surveillance must become a sustained component of Europe’s AMR response, within an effective One Health-based control strategy. Drawing on data collected through a structured comparative policy analysis of 18 national plans against AMR, covering more than 76% of the European population, as well as recent EU-level initiatives (e.g., Eionet pilot study, JAMRAI2, EU-WISH, the European Partnership on One Health Antimicrobial Resistance EUP OHAMR, and the EU Directives 2024/3019, 2026/809), we conclude that despite a common recognition of the importance of the issue and an apparent willingness to evolve, initiatives vary in their focus, resource allocation, methodological approaches, and governance structures. The vast body of gray literature and long-term environmental data that remain underused could contribute to the foundations of harmonization across sectors and international data integration and sharing. Environmental AMR surveillance is an urgent societal, regulatory, and scientific imperative.

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Publication Details

Journal
npj Antimicrobials and Resistance
Published
2026-09-25
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s44259-026-00274-9
Primary Topic
Antibiotic Use and Resistance
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
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article

Environmental surveillance of antimicrobial resistance: the missing pillar in Europe’s One Health strategy

Stefania Marcheggiani, Thomas Ulrich Berendonk, Christophe Dagot, Carsten Ulrich Schwermer et al.
npj Antimicrobials and Resistance
Antibiotic Use and Resistance
article

Environmental surveillance of antimicrobial resistance: the missing pillar in Europe’s One Health strategy

Stefania Marcheggiani, Thomas Ulrich Berendonk, Christophe Dagot, Carsten Ulrich Schwermer, Christophe Merlin, Barth F. Smets, Despo Fatta‐Kassinos, Uli Klümper, Matthew Forrest Blair, Nikolina Udiković‐Kolić, Julia Vierheilig, Helmut Bürgmann, Xavier Bellanger, Anne Leonard, Sasikaladevi Rathinavelu, William H. Gaze, Sara Rodríguez‐Mozaz, Popi Karaolia, Andrea Di Cesare, Ellen Decaestecker, Małgorzata Grzesiuk, Michela Sabbatucci, Marta Grabska, Edward Topp, Carles M Borrego, Fiona Walsh, Ester M. Eckert, Johan Bengtsson-Palme, Celia M. Manaia, Gianluca Corno, Marco Tinelli
article en

Abstract

Abstract The presence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) determinants in the environment enables their dissemination and transfer from and into human microbiomes. Environmental surveillance is a recognized cornerstone for evaluating, understanding, and mitigating emergence and exposure to resistant pathogens. However, despite its growing recognition within European One Health frameworks, environmental surveillance has not yet evolved into a systematic, transmission-oriented approach capable of elucidating pathways of transfer to human pathogens or identifying critical intervention nodes. While human and animal surveillance systems are increasingly harmonized across Europe, environmental AMR data remains fragmented, gathered in a methodologically inconsistent manner, and consequently often treated as unimportant. We argue that environmental surveillance must become a sustained component of Europe’s AMR response, within an effective One Health-based control strategy. Drawing on data collected through a structured comparative policy analysis of 18 national plans against AMR, covering more than 76% of the European population, as well as recent EU-level initiatives (e.g., Eionet pilot study, JAMRAI2, EU-WISH, the European Partnership on One Health Antimicrobial Resistance EUP OHAMR, and the EU Directives 2024/3019, 2026/809), we conclude that despite a common recognition of the importance of the issue and an apparent willingness to evolve, initiatives vary in their focus, resource allocation, methodological approaches, and governance structures. The vast body of gray literature and long-term environmental data that remain underused could contribute to the foundations of harmonization across sectors and international data integration and sharing. Environmental AMR surveillance is an urgent societal, regulatory, and scientific imperative.

npj Antimicrobials and Resistance
Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR), TU Wien (AT), Inserm (FR), National University of Ireland, Maynooth (IE), Warsaw University of Life Sciences (PL), Aarhus University (DK), University of Exeter (GB), Universitat de Girona (ES), Universidade Católica Portuguesa (PT), Istituto Superiore di Sanità (IT), Catalan Institute for Water Research (ES), Science for Life Laboratory (SE), University of Cyprus (CY), Institut National de Recherche pour l'Agriculture, l'Alimentation et l'Environnement (FR), Agroécologie (FR), Italian Society of Physiotherapy (IT), Ruđer Bošković Institute (HR), Institut Agro Dijon (FR), Laboratoire de Chimie Physique et Microbiologie pour les Matériaux et l'Environnement (FR), Italian Society of Periodontology and Implantology (IT), Interuniversity Cooperation Centre Water & Health (AT), National Research Council (IT), Anti-infectieux : supports moléculaires des résistances et innovations thérapeutiques (FR), Centro de Biotecnologia e Química Fina (PT), Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (CH), Université de Limoges (FR), Chalmers University of Technology (SE), Technische Universität Dresden (DE), University of Gothenburg (SE), Université de Lorraine (FR)
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Antibiotic Use and Resistance
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