Marine mammals as sentinel species for antibiotic resistance in marine ecosystems: a global literature analysis

초록

The accelerated accumulation and environmental dissemination of clinically important antibiotic resistance (AR) determinants is increasingly recognized as a critical One Health challenge that extends beyond clinical and veterinary medicine into the broader ecosystem. This study analyzed 55 peer-reviewed publications on AR in marine mammals, identified through systematic searches of Web of Science and PubMed without restrictions on publication date, geographic location, or language, to evaluate research trends, bacterial diversity, resistance patterns, and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). Publications spanned 1998 to 2026.06, with a marked increase observed from 2020 onwards. A total of 97 bacterial genera were identified; Escherichia (n=31), Staphylococcus (n=16), Pseudomonas (n=15), Enterococcus (n=15), Vibrio, Salmonella and Proteus (each n=14) were most frequently reported. β-Lactam resistance was the most commonly documented class (n=41), followed by tetracycline (n=34), aminoglycoside (n=32), quinolone/fluoroquinolone (n=30), and phenicol (n=24). blaTEM, blaOXA, blaSHV and mcr family ARGs — including clinically significant genes such tet, qnr and sul — were repeatedly detected across diverse bacterial genera. These findings suggest that resistance determinants associated with human activities have accumulated in marine ecosystems, and support the potential of marine mammals as sentinel species for monitoring AR contamination within a One Health framework.

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