The initiative brings together institutions from several European countries to strengthen the surveillance of and response to antimicrobial resistance from a One Health perspective, recognising the close interconnection between human health, animal health and the environment.

For this second sampling campaign, researchers from ICRA-CERCA, Sara Rodríguez-Mozaz, Carles Borrego and Pamela Colman, joined the IRTA-CReSA team, composed of Lourdes Migura, Marc Bravo, Noemí Giler and Carla Tort Miró, to conduct joint sampling at bathing waters in L’Escala and Barcelona. Samples were also collected from Lake Banyoles.

The aim of the pilot study is to evaluate and test a harmonised methodology for monitoring antimicrobial resistance across different environmental compartments. The work will contribute to generating comparable data across countries and environments, as well as to the development of future European recommendations and guidelines for environmental surveillance of antimicrobial resistance.

The study follows a One Health approach, promoting an integrated view of health and highlighting the need to address antimicrobial resistance by considering its multiple dimensions and the interactions between people, animals and the environment.