Report of the FAO Expert Working Group Meeting “Scoping Exercise to Increase the Understanding of Risks of Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) in Aquaculture

This report presents the results of an FAO Expert Working Group Meeting “Scoping exercise to increase the understanding of risks of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in aquaculture”. The meeting was attended by 14 experts from nine countries, representing intergovernmental organizations, academia, research institutions and the private sector. A risk profiling exercise was conducted on two bacterial pathogen groups (Streptococcus spp. and Vibrio parahaemolyticus) selected based on their importance to fish health and public health. Both bacterial agents affect tilapia, the second largest species group produced in aquaculture globally, which contributes significantly to global food and nutrition security. The risk profiling exercise for the two bacterial pathogens revealed that in both cases, the AMR risks posed by these pathogens were likely to be low and thus conducting a full risk assessment was not recommended. The risk profiling outlined in Codex Alimentarius was used as guidance, but it was recommended to review and adapt it as appropriate for aquatic AMR risk assessment. The Expert Group agreed to develop a project proposal to contribute to a multisectoral project “Towards reducing aquaculture-based AMR through a cross-sectoral approach”. The project concept note will include investigation on two bacterial agents important to both animal and human health, namely: Streptococcus spp. and mesophilic aeromonads.