The second session of the TERRA Viva debate series “The Role of Ecosystems in the Evolution of Antibiotic Resistance” is now available

The TERRA Associate Laboratory has just released the second episode of its new series of debates, “TERRA Viva – Diálogos para Políticas Públicas” (“TERRA Viva – Dialogues for Public Policy”) dedicated to the theme “The Role of Ecosystems in the Evolution of Antibiotic Resistance.” The session is now available on video on the official YouTube channel and in podcast format on Spotify.

Moderated by Cátia Caneiras, researcher at the Instituto de Saúde Ambiental (ISAMB) and member of TERRA, the debate brought together experts from different areas of human, animal, and environmental health to discuss how ecosystems influence the spread of antimicrobial resistance and what integrated public policies can halt this growing phenomenon:
• Carlos Palos, a doctor specializing in Internal Medicine and Intensive Care at Santa Maria Hospital and a member of the Local Unit for Infection Prevention and Control and Antimicrobial Resistance;
• Joana Moreira da Silva, professor of Microbiology at the Egas Moniz School of Health & Science;
• Isabel Henriques, researcher at the Centre for Functional Ecology (CFE) and TERRA member.

Carlos Palos addressed the challenges of resistance in human healthcare, including contamination of the hospital environment and the urgent need to strengthen hygiene and decontamination practices. Joana Moreira da Silva highlighted advances in animal health, but warned of the lack of control in companion animals, where multidrug-resistant bacteria have already been identified. In one of her speeches, Isabel Henriques (CFE/TERRA) highlighted the role of wastewater as a critical source of resistance in the environment, warning of the inadequacy of current treatments and the risks of contamination of receiving ecosystems.

This episode reinforces TERRA’s commitment to transdisciplinary dialogue and knowledge production for public policies that promote health, sustainability, and environmental justice. As Cátia Caneiras pointed out, “antibiotic resistance is one of the greatest contemporary challenges to global health, with impacts that transcend the boundaries between humans, animals, and the environment.”

Watch the video (in Portuguese):

Listen to the podcast (in Portuguese):

This debate is part of the first cycle of “TERRA Viva – Diálogos para Políticas Públicas”, an initiative of the TERRA Associate Laboratory that promotes public dialogue on structural issues of sustainability, in conjunction with the production of knowledge to support public policy – learn more here. The next and final episode will be released in the coming weeks and will focus on the impacts and challenges of heat waves.

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