Should the Increased Awareness of the One Health Approach Brought by the COVID-19 Pandemic Be Used to Further Tackle the Challenge of Antimicrobial Resistance?

Mohamed Rhouma (1, 2) , Michelle Tessier (3) , Cécile Aenishaenslin (4) , Pascal Sanders (5) , Hélène Carabin (4, 1)

1 FMV - UdeM - Faculté de Médecine Vétérinaire [UdeM-Saint-Hyacinthe]
2 GREZOSP - Groupe de Recherche en Épidémiologie des Zoonoses et Santé Publique
3 PHAC - Public Health Agency of Canada
4 UdeM - Université de Montréal
5 Laboratoire de Fougères - ANSES

Several experts have expressed their concerns regarding the potential increase in antimicrobial resistance (AMR) during the COVID-19 pandemic as a consequence of the increase in antimicrobial and biocide use in humans globally. However, the impact of the pandemic on antimicrobial use (AMU) and AMR in animals has yet to be discussed and evaluated. Indeed, veterinary practices have been hugely impacted by the pandemic and its restrictive measures around the world. In this perspective, we call for more research to estimate the impact of COVID-19 on AMU and AMR in both humans and animals, as well as on the environment, in coherence with the One Health approach. In addition, we argue that the current pandemic is an opportunity to accelerate the implementation of a One Health approach to tackle the AMR crisis at the global scale. Indeed, the momentum created by the increased general awareness of both the public and decision-makers for the development and maintenance of effective drugs to treat human infections, as well as for the importance of a One Health approach to prevent the emergence of infectious diseases, should be used as a lever to implement global collaborative and sustainable solutions to the complex challenges of AMR.

Keywords: one health; covid-19; antimicrobial resistance; antibiotic resistance; veterinary drug; human drug; Biocides

Keywords: une seule santé; résistance aux antimicrobiens; résistance aux antibiotiques; covid-19; médicament vétérinaire; médicament humain; biocide

Domains: Veterinary medicine and animal Health; Pharmacology; Santé publique et épidémiologie; Infectious diseases; Emerging diseases

Mohamed Rhouma, Michelle Tessier, Cécile Aenishaenslin, Pascal Sanders, Hélène Carabin. Should the Increased Awareness of the One Health Approach Brought by the COVID-19 Pandemic Be Used to Further Tackle the Challenge of Antimicrobial Resistance?. Antibiotics, 2021, 10 (4), pp.464. ⟨10.3390/antibiotics10040464⟩. ⟨anses-03462848⟩