Objective
About 20 million hectares of arable lands are irrigated with wastewaters in the world and almost
nothing is known about the presence, evolution and dissemination of antibiotic resistant bacteria and antibiotic
resistance genes in these fields, and their possible transmission to humans and animals via the food chain. The
proposed project will address that scientific question by using analytical chemistry, flow cytometry, molecular
biology, metagenomic approaches, and computational biology, in order to characterise antibiotic resistant bacterial
community structures and antibiotic resistance genes in untreated wastewaters and the corresponding irrigated
agricultural sites compared to control sites in low and middle income countries, as well as the influence of abiotic
factors. The new scientific data arising from this project will help to determine the factors that drive resistance and
can be minimized by developing strategies to prevent further spread of antibiotic resistant bacteria and antibiotic
resistance genes worldwide. The fellow, with a strong background in Microbial ecology and Biochemistry, will
conduct this project under the supervision of Prof Piddock, a medical microbiologist and expert in antibiotic
resistance, at the University of Birmingham.
Fields of science
- engineering and technologyenvironmental engineeringwater treatment processeswastewater treatment processes
- natural sciencesbiological sciencesmicrobiologybacteriology
- natural sciencesearth and related environmental sciencesenvironmental sciencespollution
- agricultural sciencesagriculture, forestry, and fisheriesagriculturehorticultureurban horticulture
- medical and health sciencesbasic medicinepharmacology and pharmacydrug resistanceantibiotic resistance
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
MSCA-IF-EF-ST - Standard EFCoordinator
B15 2TT Birmingham
United Kingdom