Novel disinfection to combat antibiotic resistance

控制水中的抗菌素耐药性至关重要。水和废水处理厂的消毒是对抗抗生素耐药细菌(ARB)的重要屏障；然而，它在控制方面效果较差，甚至可能促进抗生素耐药基因(ARG)的传播。该项目旨在全面调查广泛使用的消毒工艺在控制ARB/ARGs方面的有效性，确定潜在的机制，并确定最佳处理条件。该项目还旨在开发一种新的、具有成本效益和环境友好的消毒工艺，以有效地销毁ARGs，从而显著加强澳大利亚防止抗生素耐药性传播的能力。

Control of antimicrobial resistance in water is critical. Disinfection in water and wastewater treatment plants is a vital barrier against antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARB); however, it is less effective in controlling- and may even facilitate the spread of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). This project aims to comprehensively investigate the effectiveness of widely-used disinfection processes in controlling ARB/ARGs, determine the underlying mechanisms, and identify optimal treatment conditions. This project also aims to develop a novel, cost-effective and environmentally friendly disinfection process for efficient ARGs destruction, thus significantly strengthening Australia’s capacity to prevent the spread of antibiotic resistance.