Using an interdisciplinary approach to elucidate pollution impacts and antimicrobial resistant pathogen dynamics across terrestrial, estuarine and mar

利用跨学科方法阐明陆地、河口和海洋环境的污染影响和抗菌素耐药性病原体动态。环境变化对从流域到沿海的病原体动态和抗菌素耐药性演变的影响。沿海环境特别容易受到影响生态系统服务和人类健康的化学和微生物污染。抗微生物药物耐药性（AMR）细菌感染是一个新兴的社会威胁，全球每年约有500万人死亡与细菌对通常称为抗生素的抗微生物药物的耐药性有关。人们普遍认为，环境在抗菌素耐药性的进化和传播中起着重要作用，然而，人们对河流集水区和接收沿海水域中耐药细菌的动态知之甚少。这是由于河流集水区的复杂性，多变的天气和气候依赖的污染源，以及淡水、河口和海洋界面的颗粒和病原体的命运，在这些地方，人类在洗浴水域接触并被养殖贝类吸收。该学生将在北德文郡生物圈内的模型集水区和指定的海岸洗浴水中调查病原体和抗菌素耐药性动态。该集水区的独特之处在于，它拥有丰富的传感器网络，利用西门子、西南水和环境局的技术，可以获取水文和化学变量的接近实时数据。这将提供前所未有的机会，以前所未有的分辨率了解流域和沿海病原体和抗菌素耐药性动态。该学生将与埃克塞特大学和班戈大学的一个科学团队合作，该团队最近获得了1000万欧元的资助，研究沿海病原体和气候变化。基于培养的方法、定量PCR和宏基因组学方法将用于产生现场数据，这些数据将有助于了解与传播风险增加相关的流域规模过程。在体外，实验方法将用于了解未来气候变化情景对抗菌素耐药性进化和病原体生存的影响，这也将为模型提供信息。这个跨学科项目将提供集水区规模和沿海过程、分子微生物生态学、进化和建模要素方面的培训，并由具有相关学科领域专门知识的不同监督小组提供支持。该学生还将与北德文生物圈项目和环境局的合作伙伴一起工作，提供跨学术，非政府组织和政府部门的工作经验。

Using an interdisciplinary approach to elucidate pollution impacts and antimicrobial resistant pathogen dynamics across terrestrial, estuarine and marine environmentsThe impact of environmental change on pathogen dynamics and AMR evolution from catchment to coastCoastal environments are particularly vulnerable to chemical and microbial pollution that impact ecosystem services and human health. Antimicrobial resistant (AMR) bacterial infections are an emerging societal threat, with approximately 5 million deaths per year globally associated with bacterial resistance to antimicrobial drugs commonly known as antibiotics. It is accepted that the environment plays an important role in the evolution and transmission of AMR, however the dynamics of drug resistant bacteria within river catchments and receiving coastal waters are poorly understood. This is due to the complexity of river catchments, variable weather and climate dependent pollution sources and the fate of particles and pathogens at the freshwater, estuarine, marine interface where human exposure in bathing waters and uptake by farmed shellfish occurs.This student will investigate pathogen and AMR dynamics in a model catchment and designated coastal bathing water situated within the North Devon Biosphere. This catchment is unique in that it has rich sensor networks utilising Siemens, South West Water and Environment Agency technologies, allowing close to real time data to be acquired on hydrological and chemical variables. This will allow unparalleled opportunities to understand catchment and coastal pathogen and AMR dynamics at a resolution not previously possible. The student will work with a scientific team at Exeter and Bangor recently awarded a 10M Euro grant to study coastal pathogens and climate change. Culture based methods, quantitative PCR and metagenomic approaches will be used to generate field data that will inform understanding of catchment scale process associated with increased transmission risk. In vitro, experimental approaches will be used to understand impacts of future climate change scenarios on AMR evolution and pathogen survival that will also inform models. This interdisciplinary project will provide training in catchment scale and coastal processes, molecular microbial ecology, evolution and elements of modelling supported by a diverse supervisory group with expertise across relevant subject areas. The student will also work with partners at the North Devon Biosphere project and the Environment Agency, giving experience of working across academic, NGO and government sectors.