Project Details
Projekt
Isolation and characterization of environmental and fecal bacteria carrying antibiotic resistance genes
Applicant
Dr. Stefanie P. Glaeser
Subject Area
Soil Sciences
Term
since 2021
Project identifier
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 431531292
Multiresistant pathogens, especially of the ESKAPE group (Enterococcus faecalis, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Enterobacter spp.) leading to immense problems in patient treatments, represent a worldwide threat to human health. Respective pathogens are present in wastewater and also survive wastewater treatments. A key problem is the release of those pathogens into the environment during wastewater irrigation of agricultural fields. Little is known regarding factors that drive the persistence of those pathogens in the environment and the transmission of antibiotic resistance genes to environmental bacteria. The availability of nutrients and the presence of pollutants as antibiotics, disinfectants, and heavy metals seem to play a key role for these processes. The change from irrigation with untreated wastewater to irrigation with treated wastewater can be expected to affect pathogen transmission and persistence and antibiotic resistance gene transmission to environmental bacteria. In SP 6 we will contribute to testing this research hypothesis of the research unit by generating a culture collection of abundant multiresistant pathogens and environmental bacteria. The isolates will be phylogenetically identified and differentiated at the strain level and their antibiotic resistance profile will be determined. By relating these information to release, concentrations and bioavailability of antibiotics and disinfectants as well as minimal selective concentrations, abundances and horizontal transfer rates of resistance genes also with the help of the integrated mathematical fate and effects model, SP 6 contributes to a mechanistic understanding of interactions between pollutants, antibiotic resistance and pathogens in changing wastewater irrigation systems.
DFG Programme
Research Units
