Unseen Drivers of Antimicrobial Resistance: The Role of Industrial Agriculture and Climate Change in This Global Health Crisis

Madeline E. Graham (), Brenda A. Wilson (), Davendra Ramkumar, Holly Rosencranz and Japhia Ramkumar ()
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Madeline E. Graham: Carle Illinois College of Medicine, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, 506 Matthews Ave, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
Brenda A. Wilson: Carle Illinois College of Medicine, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, 506 Matthews Ave, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
Davendra Ramkumar: Carle Illinois College of Medicine, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, 506 Matthews Ave, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
Holly Rosencranz: Carle Illinois College of Medicine, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, 506 Matthews Ave, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
Japhia Ramkumar: Carle Illinois College of Medicine, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, 506 Matthews Ave, Urbana, IL 61801, USA

Challenges, 2025, vol. 16, issue 2, 1-20

Abstract: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is an urgent global health threat with many anthropogenic drivers outside of healthcare. The impacts of modern agriculture on human health are manifold, from the food systems and dietary patterns they support to the less apparent effects of environmental stresses and biodiversity loss in ecosystems. Intensive practices, such as chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides, induce abiotic stresses that deplete biodiversity and drive AMR in soil and aquatic microbiomes. The overuse of antibiotics in livestock production is another major driver of AMR. Changes in weather patterns due to climate change have the potential to exacerbate these issues as warmer and wetter weather increases the potential for bacterial infection. While practices exist to address healthcare-associated drivers, the impact of agriculture and environmental destruction are not widely appreciated in healthcare and biomedical sciences. It is imperative that healthcare professionals and public health experts understand these connections to properly address the emergent issue of AMR. This review aims to summarize the current data on important agricultural and environmental drivers of AMR for educational purposes, to fill gaps in knowledge, and to improve current practices and stimulate further research.

Keywords: antimicrobial resistance; microbiome; medical education; public health education; industrial agriculture; climate change; planetary health; One Health; food systems (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A00 C00 Z00 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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