Development of standards for assessing water quality in marine coastal waters of Bahrain.

Marine coastal waters of Bahrain are under pressure due to human activities and climate change. We used marine monitoring data (2005-2020) from 27 sites to establish baseline conditions and develop standards for assessments of water quality. Five hydrodynamic regions were identified: Oyster Beds, North, West, East, East (Coastal). Data from Oyster Beds sites, likely to be less impacted by human activities, were used to determine baseline conditions. For most parameters, candidate thresholds were based on 50 % and 100 % variation from baseline and 95th percentiles. Comparisons of data against different thresholds showed different outcomes. Overall, results indicate good water quality, with potential concerns in East (Coastal). Trend analyses showed some significant trends in all regions: downward (favourable) for some parameters (e.g. turbidity: North) and upward for others (e.g. nitrate: Oyster Beds, East and East (Coastal)). Future work requires greater understanding around optimum guidelines that protect and mitigate any adverse ecological impacts.

Antimicrobial resistance in the Gulf Cooperation Council region: A proposed framework to assess threats, impacts and mitigation measures associated with AMR in the marine and aquatic environment.

It is becoming increasingly clear that the genetic diversity and abundance of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in non-clinical settings has been underestimated and that the environment plays an integral role in enabling the development of AMR. Due to specific demographic and environmental factors the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region may be particularly susceptible to the threat of AMR, with the marine and aquatic environment potentially playing a specific role in its development and propagation. The demographic factors include rapid population growth, significant international population movements, heavy antibiotic use and insufficient antibiotic stewardship. Environmental factors leading to susceptibility include notable inputs of untreated sewage effluent, high ambient water temperatures, elevated concentrations of heavy metals, and poorly regulated use of antimicrobials in veterinary settings. However, to date there is only a limited understanding of the role that this environment plays in enabling the emergence and propagation AMR in this region. This article provides an overview of the risk associated with AMR in the marine and aquatic environment in the GCC region and proposes a framework for understanding how such environments interact with the wider development and propagation of resistance. It identifies priority actions aligned with the World Health Organisation AMR Global Action Plan and associated national action plans to evaluate the role of marine and aquatic systems relative to the wider factors driving AMR emergence and propagation. The proposed framework and actions to evaluate the role of marine and aquatic environments in driving propagation and emergence of AMR are equally applicable at the regional and national level beyond the GCC.