Canada_IPAP: Amoebae with antimicrobial resistant endsymbionts (AWARE)

抗菌素耐药性代表细菌抵抗有害化学物质的能力；最普遍的是，它们抵抗抗生素的能力一直是最令人担忧的。这些特性使致病病原体（例如）能够在抗生素治疗中存活下来。不太为人所知的是“其他”化合物（例如消毒剂）和自然界中可能使问题恶化的其他生物的影响。特别是，季铵化合物（QACs）是用于制造乳化剂、织物柔软剂、缓蚀剂和个人护理产品的高消费化学品。它们也是消毒和消毒产品中最常见的活性成分；因此，它们是产生耐药性的候选者。因此，我们将研究它们在耐药性发展中的作用，因为它们在食品制备工业中的广泛使用。更重要的是，该项目研究了自由生活的变形虫（一种在水和沉积物中发现的原生动物）在产生和传播抗微生物药物耐药性细菌中的作用。在某种程度上，自由生活的变形虫可以保护细菌免受环境中有毒化合物的侵害。然而，由于一些额外的原因，它们进一步增强了细菌产生耐药性的可能性。有些细菌是鱼类病原体。因此，必须研究它们作为耐药性驱动力的机制。本调查将在实验湖区（安大略省）进行全湖暴露研究，其中包括湖泊内多种营养水平的影响，包括鳟鱼湖。将对水体、沉积物、变形虫和鱼类中的细菌种群及其抗性性状进行比较，作为初步结果，以了解它们的分布是否确实存在相似性，以及QAC消毒剂是否也有助于选择压力。这是一项伙伴关系发展赠款，提供了与其他研究人员合作的独特机会，以便更好地了解现实环境中抗菌素耐药性的生物学机制及其在水产养殖和渔业中的风险。

Antimicrobial resistance represents bacteria's ability to withstand harmful chemicals; most popularly, their ability to resist antibiotics has been most concerning. These traits allow disease-causing pathogens (for example) to survive antibiotic therapy. Less commonly known are the impacts of "other" compounds (e.g., disinfectants) and other organisms in nature that may worsen the problem. In particular, quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs) are high-consumption chemicals used to make emulsifiers, fabric softeners, corrosion inhibitors and personal care products. They are also the most common active ingredients in sanitizing and disinfecting products; as such, they are a candidate for developing resistance. Therefore, we will examine their role in resistance development because of their extensive use in the food preparation industry. More importantly, The project examines the role of free-living amoebae (a protozoan found in waters and sediment) as a mechanism and vector in developing and spreading antimicrobial-resistant bacteria. Free-living amoebae harbour bacteria and essentially could be protected, to an extent, from toxic compounds in the environment. However, for some additional reason, they further enhance the potential for bacteria to become resistant. Some of the bacteria are fish pathogens. So their mechanism as a driving force for drug resistance must be investigated.This investigation will take place within a whole-lake exposure study at the Experimental Lakes Area (Ontario), which includes the impacts of multiple trophic levels within a lake--including Lake Trout. Comparisons of bacterial populations and their resistance traits in the water, sediment, amoebae and fish will be made as preliminary results towards understanding whether similarities in their distribution do occur and whether QAC disinfectants also contribute to the selection pressure. This is a partnership development grant with a unique opportunity to collaborate with other researchers to better understand the biological mechanisms of antimicrobial resistance in a real-life context and their risks in the aquaculture and fishing industries.