Recent Advances in Treatment Technologies for Antibiotics and Antimicrobial Resistance Genes

Various water and waste treatment technologies are gaining attention for having great potential to curb antimicrobial resistance (AMR) dissemination in the environment. Most of the treatment technologies treat AMR by being able to degrade antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs), lyse antimicrobial resistant bacteria (ARBs) and/ or oxidize the antibiotics whose presence in the environmental matrices contribute in the development and spread of AMR. A number of treatment technologies like aerobic and anaerobic digestion, membrane bioreactors, composting, nanoparticles and some disinfection-based mechanisms have already been evaluated, at industrial scale, for treating the antibiotics and associated ARBs and ARGs. These technologies, at present, are in use from the perspective of waste management and/or alternative energy but their place in formulating a broad and comprehensive strategy for controlling the spread of AMR in clinical and environmental systems has been realized. This chapter summarizes some of the important treatment technologies, illustrating their key features and efficacy in treating AMR. Studies that provide alternative views about the contributions of various treatment technologies in selecting resistant bacteria and genes are also highlighted in this chapter.