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A systematic review of AMR in wildlife: temporal and geographical distribution trends
  • +3
  • Rita Torres,
  • João Carvalho,
  • Mónica Cunha,
  • Emmanuel Serrano,
  • Josman Palmeira,
  • Carlos Fonseca
Rita Torres
University of Aveiro

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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João Carvalho
CESAM & Departamento de Biologia, Universidade de Aveiro
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Mónica Cunha
Instituto Nacional de Investigacao Agraria e Veterinaria
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Emmanuel Serrano
Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
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Josman Palmeira
CESAM & Departamento de Biologia, Universidade de Aveiro
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Carlos Fonseca
CESAM & Departamento de Biologia, Universidade de Aveiro
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Abstract

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a complex and global problem. Despite the growing literature on AMR in the medical and veterinary settings, there is still a lack of knowledge and research on the wildlife compartment. The main aim of this study was to report the global trends in AMR research in wildlife, through a bibliometric study of articles found in the Web of Science database. A total of 214 articles were obtained, published between 1979 and 2019. A rising interest in the last decades towards this topic becomes evident. During this period, the scientific literature was distributed among a broad range of scientific fields, however it became more multidisciplinary in the last years with a change of the spotlight into the “One Health” paradigm. There was a geographical bias in the research outputs. Most published documents were indisputably from the United States, followed by Spain, Portugal and the United Kingdom. The most productive institutions in terms of publication number were located in Portugal and Spain. An important level of international collaboration was identified. An analysis of the main keywords showed an overall dominance of “AMR”, “E. coli”, “genes”, “prevalence”, “bacteria”, “Salmonella spp.” and “wild birds”. This is the first study providing a global overview of the spatial and temporal trends of research related to AMR in wildlife. Given the growth tendency over the last years, it is envisaged that scientific production and research efforts will expand in the future. In addition to offering a broad view of the existing research trends, this study identifies research gaps both in terms of geographical incidence and also in relation to unexplored subtopics. Unearthing scientific areas that should be invested in and explored in the future is key to designing new strategic research agendas in AMR research in wildlife and to inform funding programs.