CAREER: Controls on the host and transfer of hazardous genes

抗生素耐药性(AR)感染是一个紧迫的环境健康问题。人类中的许多AR感染来自于土壤、水和空气的暴露。因此，需要新的方法来衡量与环境AR相关的风险。该项目寻求新的技术来识别不同环境下AR微生物的遗传标记。这些信息将被用来跟踪这些标记在环境中的传播。该项目将在环境工程和跨学科问题解决方面教育学生，以解决AR传播等复杂问题。还将为波多黎各和西班牙裔学生创造研究机会，以扩大对STEM的了解和参与。结果将以英语和西班牙语与公众分享，以教育不同的社区环境与人类健康之间的联系。从这个项目中获得的知识将有助于转变环境生物技术，以解决环境AR问题，以保护人类和生态健康。人类、动物和环境健康(One Health)之间的联系以我们最紧迫的公共卫生问题之一：抗生素耐药性为例。已经使用不识别抗生素耐药基因(ARGs)的遗传背景的技术来确定抗生素耐药性的环境热点。未能了解微生物生态和驱动ARGs在环境中扩散的机制，限制了我们确定这些基因所带来的危险的能力，并阻碍了限制抗药性传染病传播的工程解决方案的开发。为了解决这些问题，实地调查和数据挖掘被提议：1)提供关于将功能基因与混合微生物群落的元基因组数据中的假定宿主细胞联系起来的最佳实践的指导；2)表征携带ARG的宿主细胞的多样性；以及3)确定携带ARG的水媒病原体的流行率。这些研究的样本将有助于确定选定的ARG在空气、水和生物膜中的相对丰度。将进行实验室实验，以确定在选择压力下寄主生长与水平基因转移(HGT)的相对贡献。如果可以观察到促进HGT的最低浓度，则将在选择条件下定义环境ARG的遗传背景。通过研究宿主细胞、水平基因转移和遗传背景对水质的影响，这项研究将有助于对水中HGT控制因素的基础知识。这些信息可用于工程治疗系统的设计，对于理解抗性转移和了解促进重要功能基因有益和限制转移的条件至关重要。生成的数据将有助于填补ARGs定量微生物风险评估的关键数据缺口。该项目将通过改进课程，促进网络建设，并通过跨学科课程促进跨学科问题的解决，产生更广泛的影响。它还将与拉美裔学生和社区建立环境工程教育的桥梁。研究结果将以英语和西班牙语在罗格斯大学日的公众开放日上分享。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Antibiotic resistance (AR) infections are a pressing environmental health issue. Many AR infections in humans come from exposure to soil, water, and air. New methods are thus needed to measure the risk associated with environmental AR. This project seeks new techniques to identify genetic markers for AR microbes in different environmental settings. This information will be used to track the transmission of these markers through the environment. The project will educate students in environmental engineering and interdisciplinary problem solving to tackle complex problems like AR transmission. Research opportunities will also be created for Puerto Rican and Hispanic students to broaden understanding and participation in STEM. Results will be shared with the public in English and Spanish to educate diverse communities on the link between the environment and human health. Knowledge gained from this project will help transform environmental biotechnology to address environmental AR for the protection of human and ecological health.The link between human, animal, and environmental health (One Health) is exemplified by one of our most pressing public health issues: antibiotic resistance. Environmental hot spots of antibiotic resistance have been identified using techniques that do not identify the genetic context of antibiotic resistant genes (ARGs). Failure to understand the microbial ecology and mechanisms driving the proliferation of ARGs in the environment limits our ability to characterize the hazard posted by these genes and prevents the development of engineering solutions to limit the spread of antibiotic resistant infectious disease. To address these issues, field surveys and datamining are proposed to: 1) provide guidance on best practices for linking functional genes to putative host cells in metagenomic data from mixed microbial communities; 2) characterize the diversity of the ARG carrying host cells; and 3) determine the prevalence of waterborne pathogens carrying an ARGs. Samples from these studies will help define the relative abundance of select ARGs across air, water, and biofilms. A laboratory experiment will be performed to determine the relative contribution of host growth versus horizontal gene transfer (HGT) under selective pressure. If a minimum concentration to promote HGT can be observed, the genetic context of environmental ARG will be defined under selecting conditions. By studying host cells, horizontal gene transfers, and genetic context as a function of water quality, this research will contribute fundamental knowledge on the factors controlling HGT in water. This information can be used towards design of engineered treatment systems and is of critical importance for understanding the transfer of resistance and understanding conditions that promote beneficial and limiting transfers of functional genes of importance. The data generated will help fulfill a critical data gap for quantitative microbial risk assessment for ARGs. The project will provide Broader Impacts by improving curriculum, promoting network building, and facilitating interdisciplinary problem solving through an interdisciplinary course. It will also build bridges to education in environmental engineering with Hispanic students and communities. Results of the research will be shared at the Rutgers Day public open house in English and Spanish.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.