What's in the Water: A Mixed Methods Exploration of the One Health Risks of Antimicrobial Resistance in Scottish Wild Swimming Sites

Wild swimmers in Scotland are swallowing water that may carry antibiotic-resistant bacteria, and no one knows how big the risk actually is. This matters because antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a growing global threat, yet the natural environment—where resistant genes from farms and sewage treatment plants accumulate—has been largely ignored in surveillance and policy. The researchers argue that public understanding of AMR is shaped by misleading language, which distorts how people judge their own exposure. By combining water sampling with interviews and surveys of the wild swimming community, the team will map both the biological reality of AMR in Scottish freshwater and the gap between official guidance and what swimmers actually believe. If successful, the project could reshape how UK public health agencies communicate risk about recreational water use, and push environmental monitoring into the One Health framework that currently focuses on hospitals and farms. It may also influence wastewater treatment standards and signage at popular swimming spots. The work is applied and policy-facing: it aims to produce actionable recommendations, not just fundamental knowledge.