Phage treatment and wetland technology as intervention strategy to prevent dissemination of antibiotic resistance in surface waters

Urban wastewater contains antibiotic residues and human-derived microorganisms, including well-known human disease causing bacteria (pathogens) which are resistant to antibiotics. These may withstand either traditional treatment in waster water treatment plants or passive treatment in constructed wetlands presenting a serious health risk particularly in Low to Middle Income Countries (LMIC).

In this proposed research, the Phageland consortium aims to develop a new low-cost, safe, eco-friendly and scalable intervention strategy to prevent the transmission of antibiotic resistance (AR) from wastewater into surface waters. This will be achieved by combining the use of specific bacteria-infecting viruses (bacteriophages also known as phages) to created a phage-based treatment in combination with constructed wetlands acting as passive water treatment systems.

The research partners will evaluate this technology with respect to its efficacy in removing key antibiotic resistant pathogens from wastewater, ecological safety, including preservation of natural bacterial diversity, and potential side effects for the wider environment including animals.

The PhageLand technology will also be tested in a scaled-up pilot infrastructure as a proof-of-concept for the strategy and its viability for deployment in LMICs where economic constraints limit the construction of more costly and power hungry treatment technologies. The project will use a combination of field and laboratory experiments, including cutting edge techniques and environmental engineering, to address current gaps in knowledge and both assess and develop the PhageLand technology.

The initial focus will be on post-Soviet European LMICs, and specifically Moldova as a model country, which have historically been overlooked amongst LMICs as a whole. However, the proposed technology will be universally applicable and easily transferred to other countries regardless of economic status.