One Health, One Microbiome – BioMed Central

Report on the One Health Microbiome and its Critical Role in Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals

1.0 Introduction: The Microbiome as a Foundation for Sustainable Development

Microorganisms are fundamental to the health of humans, animals, plants, and ecosystems. These microbial communities, collectively known as the microbiome, are integral to achieving numerous Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The interconnectedness of these microbial systems necessitates a “One Health” approach, which recognizes that the health of people is closely connected to the health of animals and our shared environment. This report reframes the provided text to highlight the role of the “One Health Microbiome” in addressing global challenges, particularly those outlined in the SDGs.

• SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being): The human microbiome is crucial for nutrition, immune development, and protection against pathogens.
• SDG 2 (Zero Hunger): Soil and plant microbiomes are essential for crop productivity, nutrient cycling, and sustainable agriculture.
• SDG 14 (Life Below Water) & SDG 15 (Life on Land): Environmental microbiomes drive global biogeochemical cycles and maintain ecosystem stability.

2.0 The One Health Microbiome: An Integrated Ecological Network

The One Health concept, supported by organizations like the WHO, FAO, and UNEP, provides a framework for understanding the transmission of microorganisms across different domains. This interconnectedness forms the basis of the “One Health Microbiome,” where microbial strains are shared between humans, animals, and the environment.

2.1 Mechanisms of Microbial Dispersal and Colonization

The composition of any given microbiome is shaped by two primary ecological processes:

1. Dispersal: Microorganisms move between hosts and environments. Transmission occurs through various pathways:
   • Vertical transmission (e.g., mother to infant).
   • Horizontal transmission (e.g., between family members, social contacts, or between humans and animals).
   • Environmental transmission (e.g., through food, water, and soil).
2. Filtering: Environmental and host factors determine which dispersed microbes can successfully colonize a new niche. This includes diet, lifestyle, host genetics, and the immune system.

This dynamic exchange underscores the importance of environmental stewardship for public health. A loss of biodiversity in our environment, a direct threat to SDG 15, can lead to a corresponding loss of microbial diversity in humans, compromising health resilience and undermining SDG 3.

3.0 Microbiome Dysbiosis: A Universal Threat to Health and Sustainability

A balanced microbial community, or “eubiosis,” confers “colonization resistance,” protecting the host or ecosystem from invading pathogens. Disruption of this balance, known as “dysbiosis,” is a common feature across all domains and has significant implications for the SDGs.

3.1 Impacts of Dysbiosis Across Domains

• Human Health (SDG 3): Intestinal dysbiosis is linked to non-communicable diseases, malnutrition, and increased susceptibility to infectious diseases.
• Food Security (SDG 2): Dysbiosis in agricultural systems, often caused by pesticides and monocultures, reduces soil fertility and increases plant vulnerability to pathogens, threatening food production.
• Ecosystem Health (SDG 14 & 15): Dysbiosis in marine and terrestrial ecosystems, such as coral reefs and forests, compromises their resilience to climate change and other stressors.

4.0 Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR): A One Health Crisis Undermining the SDGs

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a prime example of a One Health challenge. The spread of AMR genes and resistant bacteria across human, animal, and environmental domains poses a direct threat to global health, food security, and economic stability.

4.1 AMR Transmission and its Impact on Sustainable Development

1. Threat to Global Health (SDG 3): AMR was associated with nearly 5 million deaths in 2019 and is projected to cause 10 million deaths annually by 2050, reversing decades of progress in medicine.
2. Threat to Food Systems (SDG 2 & SDG 12): The widespread use of antimicrobials in livestock and agriculture to promote growth and prevent disease contributes to the AMR crisis. This practice jeopardizes sustainable production and consumption patterns and threatens food security.
3. Environmental Contamination (SDG 6 & SDG 14): The release of antimicrobial residues and resistant bacteria into water and soil from human and agricultural sources creates environmental reservoirs of AMR, contaminating essential resources.

The transmission of AMR occurs through both clonal spread of resistant bacteria and Horizontal Gene Transfer (HGT), allowing resistance genes to move between different bacterial species. This exchange is facilitated by close contact between humans, animals, and contaminated environments, highlighting the need for integrated surveillance and action as promoted by SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).

5.0 Globalization and Climate Change: Accelerants of Microbiome Disruption

Global megatrends are profoundly impacting the One Health Microbiome, with severe consequences for achieving the SDGs.

5.1 Climate Change (SDG 13)

• Altered Microbial Distribution: Global warming and extreme weather events (e.g., floods, hurricanes) alter microbial habitats and facilitate the spread of pathogens and AMR.
• Ecosystem Disruption: Rising temperatures and drought cause dysbiosis in soil and ocean microbiomes, impairing their ability to regulate climate (e.g., carbon sequestration) and support life, directly impacting SDG 14 and SDG 15.
• Increased AMR Emergence: Environmental stressors like heat can select for bacteria with general stress-response mechanisms that also confer antibiotic resistance, accelerating the AMR crisis.

5.2 Urbanization and Lifestyle Changes (SDG 11)

• Loss of Microbial Diversity: Urban lifestyles reduce contact with natural environments, leading to a less diverse human microbiome. This “industrialized microbiota” is associated with a higher incidence of non-communicable diseases, undermining SDG 3.
• Interrupted Transmission: The disconnect from natural ecosystems interrupts the beneficial sharing of microbes, weakening colonization resistance against pathogens.

6.0 Conclusion and Recommendations for Action

The health of the planetary microbiome is inextricably linked to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. Protecting and restoring microbial diversity across the One Health spectrum is essential for building a resilient and sustainable future. Key areas for action include:

1. Adopt a One Health Approach: Implement integrated policies and surveillance systems for AMR and infectious diseases that span human, animal, and environmental sectors, in line with SDG 17.
2. Promote Sustainable Agriculture (SDG 2 & SDG 12): Reduce the use of antimicrobials and pesticides in farming. Foster practices like crop rotation and organic farming that enhance soil microbiome health and diversity.
3. Protect and Restore Ecosystems (SDG 14 & SDG 15): Conserve biodiversity to maintain a rich environmental source of beneficial microbes, which supports both ecosystem and human health.
4. Invest in Microbiome Research: Further research is needed to understand the complex interactions within the One Health Microbiome and to develop microbiome-based solutions for challenges in health, agriculture, and climate mitigation (SDG 13).

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

The article discusses the interconnectedness of human, animal, and environmental health through the lens of the microbiome, touching upon several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The following SDGs are directly addressed or connected:

• SDG 2: Zero Hunger: The article connects to this goal by discussing the health of agricultural systems. It mentions how dysbiosis in agricultural soils, often caused by pesticides, can decrease crop diversity and make plants more vulnerable to illness, impacting food production and security. It also covers the use of antimicrobials in livestock, which is linked to food production practices.
• SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being: This is a central theme. The article extensively covers the role of the microbiome in human health, the transmission of pathogens, and the global health crisis of Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR). It explicitly mentions the “One Health” concept, which integrates human, animal, and environmental health, and cites figures on deaths and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) caused by AMR.
• SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation: The article implicitly connects to this goal by identifying water as a key vector for the transmission of microorganisms and AMR. It mentions tap water as a source for shaping the human gut microbiome and the dispersion of pathogens and resistance genes through water systems, especially after events like flooding.
• SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production: This goal is addressed through the discussion of the widespread and sometimes misuse of antimicrobial products in agriculture and livestock husbandry. The article points to the use of fungicides, antiparasitic treatments, and prophylactic antibiotics as major drivers of the AMR crisis, highlighting unsustainable production patterns.
• SDG 13: Climate Action: The article establishes a direct link between climate change and microbiome health. It discusses how global warming, droughts, flooding, and extreme weather events (like hurricanes) alter microbial ecosystems in soil and oceans, affect the global distribution of microbes, and can increase the spread of pathogens and AMR.
• SDG 14: Life Below Water: The health of marine ecosystems is discussed in relation to their microbiomes. The article mentions the impact of global warming on ocean microbiomes, the protection of coral reefs from bleaching through microbiome manipulation, and the potential for microplastic biofilms in oceans to act as vectors for AMR spread.
• SDG 15: Life on Land: This goal is central to the article’s discussion of environmental microbiomes. It details the importance of soil and plant microbiomes, the negative impacts of urbanization and agricultural practices (like pesticide use) on terrestrial ecosystem health, and the loss of biodiversity. It also notes that contact with natural environments like forests and farms enhances human microbiome diversity and health.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

Based on the issues discussed, the following specific SDG targets can be identified:

1. Target 2.4: By 2030, ensure sustainable food production systems and implement resilient agricultural practices that increase productivity and production, that help maintain ecosystems, that strengthen capacity for adaptation to climate change, extreme weather, drought, flooding and other disasters and that progressively improve land and soil quality.
   • The article supports this by highlighting how dysbiosis in agricultural systems, caused by pesticides and other non-sustainable practices, reduces soil health and makes plants vulnerable. It contrasts this with organic farming, which is associated with healthier soil microbiomes.
2. Target 3.3: By 2030, end the epidemics of AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and neglected tropical diseases and combat hepatitis, water-borne diseases and other communicable diseases.
   • The article relates to this by explaining how a healthy microbiome provides “colonization resistance” against invading pathogens. Dysbiosis weakens this resistance, increasing susceptibility to infectious and communicable diseases.
3. Target 3.d: Strengthen the capacity of all countries, in particular developing countries, for early warning, risk reduction and management of national and global health risks.
   • Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) is presented as a prime example of a global health risk. The article’s call for a “One Health” approach to monitor and understand the spread of AMR across humans, animals, and the environment directly aligns with strengthening risk management capacity.
4. Target 12.4: By 2020, achieve the environmentally sound management of chemicals and all wastes throughout their life cycle… and significantly reduce their release to air, water and soil in order to minimize their adverse impacts on human health and the environment.
   • The article discusses the detrimental effects of “antibiotics, drugs and other chemical compounds, as well as toxic waste and pesticides” on microbiomes in various settings, linking chemical use directly to environmental and health damage.
5. Target 13.1: Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries.
   • The article explains how climate events like “Hurricane Harvey, and the associated flooding” led to a higher density of pathogens. It also discusses how drought and rising temperatures create stress that can lead to the emergence of AMR, highlighting the need for resilience.
6. Target 14.2: By 2020, sustainably manage and protect marine and coastal ecosystems to avoid significant adverse impacts… and take action for their restoration in order to achieve healthy and productive oceans.
   • This is addressed by the mention of research showing that microbiome manipulation can “protect coral reefs against ocean-warming induced bleaching,” a direct action toward protecting and restoring marine ecosystems.
7. Target 15.5: Take urgent and significant action to reduce the degradation of natural habitats, halt the loss of biodiversity and, by 2020, protect and prevent the extinction of threatened species.
   • The article links “industrialization and urbanization” to a “decrease in microbiome connectiveness and decrease in human microbial diversity.” This loss of microbial diversity is a form of biodiversity loss resulting from habitat degradation and lifestyle changes.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

Yes, the article mentions or implies several quantitative and qualitative indicators that can be used to measure progress:

• Indicators for AMR (Target 3.d):
  • Mortality and Morbidity Rates: The article provides specific figures: “AMR bacterial pathogens were associated with an estimated 4.95 million deaths globally in 2019 and 192 million disability adjusted life years (DALYs).” Tracking these numbers would be a direct indicator of the impact of AMR.
  • Prevalence of Specific Resistance Genes: The article mentions tracking specific antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) like bla_-CTX-M15 and bla_NDM-5 across different domains (humans, animals, environment). The prevalence and spread of such genes are measurable indicators.
  • Incidence of Resistant Pathogens: The article discusses the prevalence of ESKAPE pathogens and ESBL-producing E. coli. Monitoring the incidence of infections caused by these bacteria in clinical and community settings is a key indicator.
• Indicators for Ecosystem Health (Targets 2.4, 14.2, 15.5):
  • Microbial Alpha Diversity: The article repeatedly refers to a “decrease in microbiota alpha diversity” as a key characteristic of dysbiosis and an unhealthy ecosystem, whether in the human gut, agricultural soil, or other environments. This can be measured through sequencing.
  • Ratio of Commensal to Pathogenic Microbes: Dysbiosis is described as a “decline in protective commensal microbial organisms with a corresponding increase in opportunistic and pathogenic strains.” This ratio serves as an indicator of ecosystem balance and health.
• Indicators for Sustainable Production (Target 12.4):
  • Volume of Antimicrobials Used: The article identifies the “widespread use, sometimes also misuse, of antimicrobial products across agriculture… [and] livestock husbandry” as a primary driver of AMR. Quantifying the volume of antibiotics, fungicides, and pesticides used is a direct indicator of production sustainability.
• Indicators for Climate Resilience (Target 13.1):
  • Incidence of Post-Disaster Infections: The article notes that hurricanes were “associated with increased nosocomial infections.” Tracking the rate of such infections following extreme weather events can indicate a community’s resilience and preparedness.

4. Create a table with three columns titled ‘SDGs, Targets and Indicators” to present the findings from analyzing the article.

Source: microbiomejournal.biomedcentral.com