Dr E Pagaling, Dr R Allan, Dr C W Knapp
No more applications being accepted
Competition Funded PhD Project (European/UK Students Only)
About the Project
The threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the biggest challenges to society today. In the EU, about 25,000 patients die annually from an infection with drug-resistant bacteria, resulting in estimated losses of at least EUR 1.5 billion. The projected numbers of deaths caused by AMR are expected to reach 10 million per year globally by 2050 unless there is more investment in research and development, and mitigation strategies are identified and implemented.
The water environment acts as a conduit between reservoirs of AMR. Despite treatment, studies have shown that drinking water (that was compliant with drinking water quality standards) can contain microbes that are resistant to at least one antibiotic.The consumption of AMR bacteria in drinking water has implications for human health.
In the UK, mains water is treated by chlorination, and private water supplies are treated by UV. In Denmark, chemical disinfection is not used, and instead water is filtered by rapid sand filtration. Chemical treatment can exacerbate the prevalence of AMR by allowing chemically-resistant strains to evolve and by increasing multi-drug resistance either by co-resistance (via horizontal gene transfer) or cross-resistance (where selection of one phenotype simultaneously selects for genes on the same genetic element). Little work has been done to compare the prevalence of AMR in different water distribution systems, and so this project aims to close this knowledge gap. It will also determine the mechanisms that increase the prevalence of AMR and identify points in the water distribution systems that can be targeted for potential mitigation strategies.
Aims/Objectives
This project aims to determine the prevalence of antimicrobial resistance across water distribution systems that use different disinfection methodologies. The specific objectives are:
1. Determine microbial diversity and AMR genes in water distribution systems (in the UK and Denmark)
2. Determine capacity of chemical stress to increase multi-drug resistance and AMR prevalence.
3. Identify critical control points (CCPs) controlling risk of AMR reaching the tap.
Methods/Approach
Fieldwork will be carried out to collect samples from a public water distribution system and a private water supply in the UK. DNA-based methods will be used for microbial community analysis (Illumina sequencing) and AMR quantification (QPCR chip). DNA archives from Denmark’s rapid sand filtration systems will be provided. Cultivation methods and microcosms will be used to test the effect of stress responses on AMR and multi-drug resistance. Hazard analysis critical control point systems are a food safety management system which uses the approach of controlling critical points in food and drink production, and the framework of its concept consists of seven principles. This approach has already been utilised in the drinking water industry and has also been adapted to the farm environment, demonstrating its transferability. This part of the project will build on existing risk assessment protocols for private and public water supplies and will use the experimental case studies to identify the key critical control points (CCPs) from catchment to tap controlling AMR presence in drinking water. The process will couple literature data with that produced during the PhD to highlight CCPs and identify potential monitoring solutions to enhance protection against human exposure to AMR through drinking water.
Funding Notes
The studentship is funded under the James Hutton Institute/University Joint PhD programme, in this case with the University of Strathclyde. Applicants should have a first-class honours degree in a relevant subject or a 2.1 honours degree plus Masters (or equivalent). Shortlisted candidates will be interviewed in Jan/Feb 2018. A more detailed plan of the studentship is available to candidates upon application. Funding is available for European applications, but Worldwide applicants who possess suitable self-funding are also invited to apply
References
1. Tackling drug-resistant infections globally: final report and recommendations. The review on antimicrobial resistance. Chaired by J. O'Neill. May 2016.
2. Antimicrobial resistance surveillance in Europe 2015. European CDC.
3.Dodd (2012). J Environ Monitoring 14: 1754-1771