Project: PROBING ANTIBIOTIC RESIDUES AND RESISTANCE TRANSFER IN AQUATIC ENVIRONMENTS
| Acronym | PARRTAE (Reference Number: ID 351) |
| Duration | 01/09/2021 - 31/08/2024 |
| Project Topic | The project aims to study bacteria, antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and antibiotic residues in groundwater, surface water, wastewater, marine water environments in the North Sea and the Atlantic including ports, and aquaculture facilities. Samples will be collected from sites with high and low suspected loads of antibiotic residues. Culture-based and sequencing-based methods will be used to identify ARGs. Transfer of ARG-containing plasmids will be analyzed using indicator bacteria Escherichia coli, Vibrio spp., and Shewanella algae as recipients. LC-MS/MS will be used to quantify the levels of different antibiotics in the collected samples. We hypothesize that local water microbiota, antibiotic residues, and recipient species will affect the type of plasmids transferred. The effects of the acquired plasmids on the physiology of our bacterial models will be analyzed in experimental lab systems, and their influence on fitness and virulence in a live host will be studied by host interactions in a shrimp (Artemia)model. The project will determine common ARG plasmids circulating in European waters and their inherent properties as a fundament to understand and prevent their dissemination. |
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Project Results (after finalisation) |
1. Measuring of antibiotic resistance and antibiotic residues in different sites across four European countries 2. Sequencing and analysis of plasmid features 3. Experimental analyses on fitness provided by transferred plasmids The impact of circulating ARG plasmids and antibiotic residues and their contribution to the emerging resistance problem has only begun to be understood. This project aims to detect emerging plasmids and other mobile elements and their corresponding bacterial hosts by joining microbial expertise from the health, aquaculture, freshwater, and marine sectors. We aim to determine and measure the behavior of important ARG plasmids, corresponding genes and bacterial hosts in water and over time, and experimentally analyze the driving sources, including antibiotic residues, behind the preponderance of such plasmids. |
| Network | AquaticPollutants |
| Call | 1st AquaticPollutants Joint Call 2020 |
Project partner
| Number | Name | Role | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Karolinska Institutet | Coordinator | Sweden |
| 2 | Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria | Partner | Spain |
| 3 | ILVO | Partner | Belgium |
| 4 | NTNU Norwegian University of Science and Technology | Partner | Norway |
| 5 | Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences | Partner | Sweden |