Abstract
Antimicrobials are used in a variety of settings to treat a variety of diseases, but ultimately, they end up in the environment. Initial efforts to address antimicrobial misuse and overuse has prioritized human and animal health systems. However, under the One Health framework, we recognize the interconnectedness of the environment within both of these. There are still large uncertainties in the knowledge on the actual role played by the environment in the emergence, spread, and persistence of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria, genes, and residues. The goal of this practicum project was to better understand how antimicrobial resistance cycles through the environment, the factors鈥�(e.g., water quality parameters, and on-farm soil practices) which influence occurrence and persistence, and finally the risk that this poses to Canadians. To develop a comprehensive risk assessment model, an environmental scan was conducted to assess the state of knowledge of antimicrobial resistance in the environment, namely water and soil, from a Canadian research perspective. Both published and grey literature was scanned, and 132 documents were identified. These reports, published research, and opinion pieces were analysed, and preliminary data extraction was performed. Finally, the information was then used to populate a Kumu map utilizing feedback loops, and other visual techniques to aid future quantitative microbial risk assessment work and causal model development.聽聽聽