Veterinary antimicrobial resistance as a climate-sensitive emerging infectious disease: a paradigm shift in one health surveillance.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is recognized as one of the most pressing global health threats, associated with more than one million deaths annually and disproportionately affecting vulnerable populations. Despite this burden, AMR is often conceptualized as a gradual crisis rather than as an emergent infectious process. This review explores the proposition that veterinary AMR may be better understood as a climate-sensitive emerging infectious disease (EID). Emerging evidence suggests that climatic variability, including heatwaves, floods, and droughts, can increase infection pressure in animals, influence antimicrobial use, and facilitate the environmental dissemination of resistance determinants. Current veterinary surveillance remains largely focused on resistance prevalence, with limited incorporation of climate-linked risk forecasting, leaving important gaps in preparedness. By synthesizing interdisciplinary evidence, this review outlines priorities for climate-aware veterinary stewardship, surveillance innovations linking genomic and environmental data, and policies that could elevate AMR to EID-level urgency. Such reframing has the potential to strengthen One Health resilience, protect animal welfare, and promote global health equity.