Impact of transformation products of antimicrobial chemicals on the emergence of antimicrobial resistance in aquatic environments

Antimicrobial resistance poses health risks to humans and our environment.

While the use of antimicrobial chemicals is one well-known factor, extremely little is explored for their corresponding transformation products (TPs) in driving the development and enrichment of such resistance in aquatic ecosystems.

Improving our knowledge on the potential association of environmental TPs with disseminations of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) thus helps to combat aquatic antimicrobial resistance in the future.

This pioneering project aims to assess the potential impact of TPs on the proliferation and transmission of aquatic resistomes (diversity and abundance of genes).

Our methodological approach includes integrative bioanalytical analyses of freshwater microcosm experiments and advanced instrumentations.

Specific objectives are to: (a) determine the transformation process of selected antimicrobial chemicals in freshwater microcosms; (b) identify the interrelations between TPs and freshwater resistomes; and (c) validate the microcosm findings with field studies of freshwaters for modelling TP associations with ARGs.

High-throughput analytical and gene-expression techniques will be used to analyse TPs and genes (e.g. ARGs), respectively.

Our work is beneficial for the scientific community with advanced knowledge on TPs and their links to ARGs as potential indicators for future assessments of antimicrobial resistance in the aquatic environment.