Antimicrobial resistant bacteria and genes, drivers, and risk in the aquatic environments of Yorkshire

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Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global health threat, the aquatic environment is increasingly recognised as an important reservoir and source of transmission.The mixing of selection drivers, pathogenic and non-pathogenic bacteria increases the risk of antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) sharing between organism through Horizontal Gene Transfer (HGT) with the potential of producing resistant pathogens that could cause untreatable diseasesThe media frequently reports on the release of treated and untreated waste by water companies, but agriculture, healthcare, industrial and historic mining sites all contribute to driving the selection of AMR.There is currently no legal requirement to monitor AMR in discharge or the wider environment, research on rivers have been carried out in various countries including the UK but not in a Yorkshire River since 1971.The River Wharfe at Ilkley, Yorkshire was the first inland river site in the UK to be given formal bathing designation with an application for the River Nidd being assessed for approval in 2024, making both river catchments of particular interest.The project will consist of a 12-month assessment of antimicrobial resistant bacteria by culturing samples at multiple point on two rivers the Nidd and Wharfe to understand special-temporal fluctuations. During the bathing season, which currently only monitors faecal indicators, metagenomics analysis will be carried out to get an in-depth understanding of the river resistome. Chemical water quality characteristics including nitrogen, carbon, phosphorus and metals will also be collected. The data will then be evaluated to identify correlations between the measured variables, land use and predicted pollution sources.The conclusions can be used to inform local stakeholders including recreational water users, water companies and farmers, as well as contributing to future policy changes at higher levels.