Biodiversity – barrier for the antibiotic resistance?

13 05 2022

We cordially invite you to the institute seminar: on Monday, 16^th of May at 2 pm MSc Mateusz Szadziul from the Department of Bacterial Physiology will present a seminar on „Biodiversity as an ecological barrier for the spread of antibiotic resistance in the environment”.

Abstract:

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the largest threats to global health. AMR is spreading through the environment and requires novel approaches to be tackled with. Environmental dissemination routes, including soils and fresh waters, are considered to be important for AMR proliferation, but current knowledge gaps on this field are complicating AMR prevention. Antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARB) and antibiotic resistance genes (ARG) carried by them pose a threat to human and animal health. It is proposed that high biodiversity in natural habitats may act as an ecological barrier to the spread of ARB and ARGs from anthropogenic contamination sources. My PhD research, conducted as a part of international project financed by the NCN entitled “ANTIVERSA – Biodiversity as an ecological barrier for the spread of clinically relevant antibiotic resistance in the environment”, will include evaluation on the microbiome and resistome of forest and arable soil, and testing the impact of environment contamination with ARB and ARGs on biodiversity and AMR dissemination. Performed studies will answer the question if the spread of ARB will be hindered by a highly diverse microbial community. Obtained results will aid the development of measures to mitigate AMR spread in natural habitats for the protection of global health.