The role of aquatic ecosystems as reservoirs of antibiotic resistance

• Anthropogenic activities may contribute to the spread of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in the environment.
• Aquatic environments provide ideal settings for the horizontal exchange of mobile genetic elements (MGEs).

Although antibiotic resistance has become a major threat to human health worldwide, this phenomenon has been largely overlooked in studies in environmental settings. Aquatic environments may provide an ideal setting for the acquisition and dissemination of antibiotic resistance, because they are frequently impacted by anthropogenic activities. This review focuses primarily on the emergence and dissemination of antibiotic resistance in the aquatic environment, with a special emphasis on the role of antibiotic resistance genes.