ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE AND ITS IMPORTANCE FOR ONE HEALTH - LITERATURE REVIEW

Resumo

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a phenomenon that is causing several negative consequences for global public health, both animal and human, occurring due to the constant exposure of microorganisms (such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites) to anti microbial drugs (such as antibiotics, antivirals, antifungals, and anthelmintics), resulting in resistance mechanisms that make treatments less effective and allow infections to persist in the organism. Nowadays, AMR is responsible for causing potentially severe infections, associated with increased mortality, morbidity, and hospitalization time due to the reduction or loss of therapeutic efficacy of antimicrobials, leaving few or no safe and effective alternatives for the treatment of diseases caused by microorganisms. The objective of this review was to analyze the main aspects related to AMR, addressing its development, dissemination factors, impacts on One Health, and the importance of microbiology laboratories in its epidemiological monitoring. The meth odology was based on the development of a narrative literature review using research from the Google Scholar and SciELO databases. The search was limited to the period between 2014 and 2026, using the descriptors “Antimicrobial Resistance to Drugs” and “An timicrobial Resistance and Hospital Infections,” encompassing studies published in both Portuguese and English. Original scientific articles, literature reviews, and technical books addressing the correlation between the One Health approach and antimicrobial resistance were analyzed. Studies outside the defined time frame or not directly related to the central theme were excluded. The analysis strategy was based on exploratory, selective, and integrative reading of the collected data. According to the studi es, AMR is a factor that naturally occurs in microorganisms through genetic alterations; however, it has been drastically accelerated due to the excessive and indiscriminate use of antibiotics in human medicine, veterinary medicine, agriculture, and animal production. In this way, the selection of resistant strains, combined with the high genetic versatility of microorganisms that allows mutations or the transfer of genetic material (through plasmids, transposons, or integrons), facilitates AMR. Among the b acteria most cited in the literature regarding the potential for antimicrobial drug resistance, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Acinetobacter baumannii stand out. In addition, bacterial species that produce beta -lactamase and carbapenemase enzymes have been prioritized by the World Health Organization due to the greater resistance to therapeutics presented by infections caused by these agents. In this situation, the microbiology laboratory plays a fundamental role in the diagnosis, identification of microorganisms, and monitoring of the resistance they present, identifying the most effective treatments and assisting in the epidemiological control of infections. It is concluded that AMR constitutes a complex and growing problem, evidencing microorganisms resistant to multiple drugs and requiring integrated actions such as the rational use of antimicrobials, epidemiological surveillance, and improvements in disease prevention and control measures, aiming to minimize the spread of resistant microorganisms.