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

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.