ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE (AMR) SURVEILLANCE AT WILDLIFE-HUMAN INTERFACES

Abstract

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a planetary-scale problem that links human health, animal populations and environmental systems. Conventional surveillance emphasizes clinical and agricultural reservoirs, leaving wildlife and environmental compartments poorly represented. Empirical studies and genomic analyses increasingly show that wildlife, especially animals inhabiting anthropogenic habitats carry resistant bacteria and resistance genes that mirror those circulating in humans and livestock (Vittecoq et al., 2016; Muloi et al., 2022). Environmental contamination (wastewater, landfills, agricultural runoff) and mobile genetic elements (plasmids, integrons) drive acquisition and horizontal transfer of resistance determinants; migratory and synanthropic species can distribute these elements across landscapes (Berendonk et al., 2015; Ahlstrom et al., 2018). Despite growing evidence, wildlife remains marginalised in national AMR plans, weakening early detection, source attribution and integrated mitigation. This chapter synthesizes global evidence, outlines transmission pathways, describes genomic and bioinformatic approaches for wildlife AMR surveillance, and proposes a practical, One Health-aligned roadmap for establishing sentinel networks. Incorporating wildlife surveillance into coordinated AMR strategies will enhance detection of environmental reservoirs, inform intervention priorities and strengthen sustainable, ecosystem-inclusive responses to resistance.