# The Invisible Threat of Antibiotic Resistance in Food
## 4 Antibiotic Resistance in Drinking Water
### Microbiota of Edible Insects and Prevalence of Antibiotic Resistance Genes in Their Bacteria  
In Europe and other industrialized countries, entomophagy is often considered to be an unappealing practice. However, in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and Australia, insects are typical components of the human diet. It is estimated that more than 2000 insect species are consumed all over the world [344]. Insects were recently introduced to Europe as novel foods. Commission Implementing Regulations (EU) 2021/1975 [345], (EU) 2022/169 [346], (EU) 2022/188 [347], and (EU) 2023/58 [348] have authorized the placing of frozen, dried, and powdered forms of migratory locust/grasshopper (_Locusta migratoria_), yellow measworm (_Tenebro molitor_), house cricket (_Acheta domesticus_), and grain mold beetle, also known as lesser mealworm (_Alphitobius diaperus_) on the market. Despite the nutritional benefits of consuming insects like high protein and micronutrient content, or the potential antibacterial effects of sterols in edible insect extracts [349], microbiological safety is also a significant factor to be considered, as there is a noticeable lack of research regarding the microbial risks associated with insects for human consumption [350; 351]. As outlined by [PERSON] et al. [344] and [PERSON] [352], the presence of multiple pathogenic bacteria was identified in edible insects. Among the bacterial genera are _Bacillus_, _Campylobacter_, _Clostritium_, _Cronobacter_, _Escherichia_, _Listeria_, _Proteus_, _Pseudomonas_, _Salmonella_, _Serratia_, _Staphylococcus_, _Streptococcus_, _Vibrio_, and _Yersinia_. These genera include emetic, pathogenic, or potentially pathogenic strains characteristic of the microbiota of edible insects. Yeasts and molds are also present in edible insects. As determined by [PERSON] et al. [344], _Aspergillus_, _Penicillium_, _Alternaria_, _Chaetomium_, _Mucor_, _Phoma_, _Drechslera_, and _Fusarium_ are their typical filamentous fungi. In detail, some xerophilic and potential mycotoxin-producing species were identified, such as _Aspergillus niger_ and _Aspergillus flavus/parasiticus_, _Aspergillus ochracus_, _Penicillium aurantiogriseum_, _Penicillium citrium_, and _Penicillium verrucosum_. Among the identified yeasts, _Debaryomyces hansenii_ is a common species, whereas _Saccharomyces_ spp. or _Saccharomyces cerevisiae_ are detected in lower frequency. The presence of _Trichosporon ashtii_, an opportunistic yeast that causes trichosporonosis in immunocompromised patients, was also confirmed. [PERSON] and [PERSON] [353] evaluated the presence and the role of edible insects in the transmission of parasitic diseases to humans. They proved that edible insects play an important role in the epidemiology of parasitic diseases in vertebrates. Thus, it was proposed that insect welfare standards and analytical methods should be developed with the objective of minimizing production losses and effectively eliminating pathogens from edible insect farms. Moreover, recent studies on commercially available edible insects might represent an important reservoir of antibiotic-resistant microorganisms and revealed the presence of some antimicrobial resistance (AR) genes that confer resistance to antibiotics conventionally used in clinical practice [344; 354]. A comprehensive review dealing with the role of insects in the acquisition and transmission of antibiotic resistance was prepared by [PERSON] et al. [355]. [PERSON] et al. [356] investigated the presence of 11 transferable AR genes in various marketed edible insects and found that among the genes investigated, resistance to tetracycline (_tetK_) occurred with the highest frequency, followed by macrolides (_ermB_) and \(\beta\)-lactamases (_blaZ_). In addition, PCR-based molecular methods have also shown a high prevalence of tetracycline resistance genes in _Hermetia illucens_ (the black soldier fly) larvae [357]. In the study of [PERSON] et al.