Measuring and mitigating the release of mobile antibiotic resistance genes from wastewater treatment plants in Canada.

细菌病原体的抗生素耐药性削弱了医生控制侵入性细菌感染的能力，导致患者健康结果的严重后果。最近的八国集团科学部长会议将抗微生物药物耐药性确定为21世纪的一项重大卫生安全挑战，突显了这一威胁的严重性（2013年6月12日，英国八国集团）。抗生素耐药性的上升与临床和农业环境中抗生素使用的增加有关。因此，最近的政策发展侧重于减少抗生素的使用。这些努力对公共卫生很重要；然而，他们没有考虑其他潜在的抗生素耐药性储存库。在此背景下，研究工作已经确定废水处理厂（WWTPs）是全球高浓度抗生素耐药细菌（ARB）和抗生素耐药基因的热点。污水处理厂接收来自家庭的人类粪便，其中含有排泄的肠道细菌，包括ARB。需要口服抗生素治疗的个体将在胃肠道中富集ARB。这些ARB和抗生素残留物随尿液和粪便排出，并最终被运送到废水处理厂。此外，抗生素耐药基因通常与可移动的遗传元件相关，这进一步增加了这些临床相关的抗生素耐药基因被水平动员到环境中发现的机会性病原体的可能性。污水处理厂可能是减少抗生素耐药库的一个关键控制点。拟议的研究将与我们在三个省（SK， PEI）的市政污水处理合作伙伴合作

Antibiotic resistance in bacterial pathogens undermines a physician's ability to control invasive bacterial infections, leading to serious consequences in patient health outcomes. The magnitude of the threat was highlighted by the recent G8 Science Ministers identified antimicrobial drug resistance as a major health security challenge of the twenty first century (G8 UK, June 12, 2013). The rise in antibiotic resistance has been linked to an increased use of antibiotics in clinical and agricultural settings. Consequently, recent policy development has focused on reducing antibiotic use. These efforts are important for public health; however, they do not consider other potential reservoirs of antibiotic resistance. In this context, research efforts have identified wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) as global hot-spots for high concentrations of antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARB) and antibiotic resistance genes. WWTPs receive human fecal wastes from households containing excreted gut bacteria including ARB. Individuals required to orally ingest antibiotics as a medical treatment will enrich for ARB in the gastrointestinal tract. These ARB and antibiotic residues are excreted in urine and feces, and are ultimately transported to wastewater treatment plants. Moreover, the antibiotic resistance genes are often associated with mobile genetic elements, furthering the potential for these clinically relevant antibiotic resistance genes to be horizontally mobilized to opportunistic pathogens found in the environment. WWTPs may represent a critical control point in the reduction of antibiotic resistance reservoirs. The proposed research will be in collaboration with our municipal WWTP partners in three provinces (SK, PEI