The missing pillar in Europe’s One Health strategy

Environmental surveillance of antimicrobial resistance:

Just two days after experts at BlueAdapt’s final conference called for stronger action on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) risks in coastal waters, a new international review has highlighted the critical role of environmental surveillance in Europe’s response to AMR.

The paper, published in ‘npj Antimicrobials and Resistance‘, brings together researchers from across Europe, including BlueAdapt’s Prof Will Gaze, Dr Anne Leonard and Dr Stefania Marcheggiani. The authors argue that monitoring AMR in the environment should become a core pillar of the One Health approach, alongside surveillance in humans and animals.

Read the paper

 

The review highlights how rivers, coastal waters, wastewater and other environmental systems can act as reservoirs and pathways for antimicrobial resistance, while also identifying opportunities to strengthen monitoring and inform more effective public health action.

The publication reinforces a key theme from the conference: addressing AMR requires coordinated action across environmental, health and policy sectors to better understand and manage risks in a changing climate.

Full citation: 

Corno, G., Bellanger, X., Bengtsson-Palme, J. et al. Environmental surveillance of antimicrobial resistance: the missing pillar in Europe’s One Health strategy. npj Antimicrob Resist (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s44259-026-00274-9