Work

Monitoring and control of antimicrobial resistance across the water continuum, from natural sources to engineered water systems

Year: 2026

Type: review

Abstract: Chemical disinfection is heavily relied upon to arrest microbial regrowth in water systems, but its future must be reimagined. Growing evidence indicates that disinfectants themselves, along with persistent disinfectant residues and the formation of disinfection byproducts (DBPs), can induce stress responses and modify processes involved in genetic exchange in microbial communities within engineered water systems and their receiving environments. As a result, water systems across the entire water continuum — from drinking water and reuse systems to oceans and rivers — may act as ecological interfaces in which the persistence, selection, and mobility of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) determinants are shaped. Hence, treatment design must now also account for microbial evolutionary safety, minimizing the biochemical conditions that enable the spread of AMR. At the same time, emerging DBP-free strategies, such as phage-based interventions and biological polishing, offer a new generation of tools to suppress the development and spread of resistance without creating the same DBP-associated chemical-selective environment. Here, we opined that the next frontier in water treatment lies in precision engineering, which combines optimized oxidation, targeted microbial controls, and gene-level safeguards. With this shift, water and wastewater infrastructure can evolve from a hot spot of AMR into active barriers against genetic dissemination, protecting ecosystems and public health alike.

Source: Current Opinion in Chemical Engineering

DOI: 10.1016/j.coche.2026.101299

Authors: Ramona Marasco, Bothayna Al-Gashgari, Junjie Gu, Chak Chan, Pei-Ying Hong

Institutions: King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, National Guard Health Affairs

Language: English

Topic: Pharmaceutical and Antibiotic Environmental Impacts

Subfield: Pollution

Field: Environmental Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDGs: Clean water and sanitation, Good health and well-being

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $4,250