HEИндивидуална стипендия2023–2025

PHASTER · Bacteriophages as vehicles for antimicrobial resistance determinants: Do they represent an environmental risk?

„Хоризонт Европа“ — Действия „Мария Склодовска-Кюри“

Период: 2023-05-01 → 2025-04-30
Финансиране от ЕС: 165 313 €
Участници: 1
Схема: HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF

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Накратко на български

Бактериофагите (вируси, които заразяват бактерии) се изследват като преносители на гени за антибиотична резистентност в природна среда с ниски дози антибиотици. Това помага да се разбере как се разпространява устойчивостта на бактериите, което е важно за общественото здраве.

Този кратък обзор е генериран от изкуствен интелект

Кратко обяснение, генерирано от езиков модел по текста на CORDIS. Оригиналът е по-долу.

Резултати накратко

Bacteriophages as vehicles for antimicrobial resistance determinants: Do they represent an environmental risk?

For PHASTER project, we have identified that microbial communities are dynamic ecosystems in constant flux, continuously shaped by environmental pressures and human activities. However, significant gaps remain in our overall understanding, particularly in relation to the spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) within microbial populations due to the presence of phages (viruses that infect bacteria). This process may be significantly influenced by low concentrations of antibiotics, which are commonly found in natural environments due to agricultural runoff, wastewater discharge, and other anthropogenic sources. This project seeks to uncover how phages contribute to the horizontal gene transfer of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) under these real-world conditions. The results are expected to provide key insights into the mechanisms by which resistance spreads silently in the environment, often going unnoticed until it reaches a critical threshold with direct implications for public health. This knowledge is especially relevant in the current political and strategic context, where global agencies such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and the European Commission have prioritized the fight against AMR as one of the major challenges of the 21st century.

Текст от CORDIS, на английски · Данни: CORDIS, © Европейски съюз

Цел на проекта

Although antibiotic resistance is a major and growing public health concern, surveillance for the expansion of this phenomenon in environmental settings has not been fully explored. However, recent studies suggest that antibiotic resistance found in clinical settings may emerge from environmental sources. In fact, the environment is continually exposed to a wide variety of antimicrobials and their metabolites through wastewater treatment plant discharges, agricultural runoff, and animal feeding operations, which may contribute to the emergence and spread of antibiotic resistance. It is therefore necessary to understand the mechanisms and factors that promote antibiotic resistance. The PHASTER project aims at exploring the presence, diversity, and abundance of bacteriophages in the environment. Particular points of interest will be the study of bacteriophages that lead to the mobilization of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and their interaction with antibiotic compounds, even at extremely low concentrations, similar to those found in some aquatic environments. Mesocosm experiments will also be conducted to examine how bacterial communities respond to the presence of bacteriophages harbouring ARGs under stressful conditions, such as exposure to antibiotics. In order to reach these goals, a combination of metagenomics and bioinformatics approaches will be used to investigate the sources of ARGs, their environmental distribution and how anthropogenic inputs affect their spread. A better understanding of the mechanisms and factors that contribute to antibiotic resistance will permit the implementation of appropriate public health strategies, policies, and mitigation programs. Special attention will also be devoted to dissemination so that stakeholders and policy makers can benefit from PHASTER.

Оригинален текст от CORDIS (на английски).

Участници

FUNDACIO INSTITUT CATALA DE RECERCA DE L'AIGUA · GironaКоординаторИспания