Abstract
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a major global health concern, involving complex transmission pathways linking humans, domestic animals, wildlife, and the environment. Wild animals and plants can harbour and transmit AMR, while also serving as sentinels. Here, we aimed to evaluate current knowledge and research gaps on AMR in wild animals and plants to inform One Health research and policy. We conducted a semi‑systematic review of AMR in wild animals and plants, generating a dataset of 866 publications and analysing metadata on host taxa, microbial and genetic targets, and analytical approaches. The literature shows strong taxonomic, geographic, and methodological biases, with mammals and birds dominating, whereas plants (n = 14) and amphibians (n = 10) were rarely studied. Resistant fungi were also under‑represented (2% of studies), while Escherichia spp. accounted for 33% of microbial targets. Employing wildlife‑based surveillance offers a useful policy tool to address key AMR gaps at human-animal-environment interfaces.
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Acknowledgements
The work carried out for the Environment Agency report was part of ongoing Environment Agency research into AMR in the environment and was funded by the PATH-SAFE programme, which is funded by HMT through the Shared Outcomes Fund. The expansion of the literature searches and subsequent reanalysis of the database, and publication write-up were supported by the Natural Environment Research Council PAthways of Chemicals Into Freshwaters and their ecological ImpaCts (PACIFIC) project (NE/X015947/1).
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Tipper, H.J., Payne, R.A., Stanton, I.C. et al. AMR in wild animals and plants: global trends and future priorities in wildlife-associated antimicrobial resistance research.
npj Antimicrob Resist (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s44259-026-00226-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s44259-026-00226-3
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