Isotopic Techniques to Assess the Fate of Antimicrobials and Implications for Antimicrobial Resistance in Agricultural Systems
Closed for proposals
Project Type
Project Code
D15022CRP
2308Approved Date
Status
Start Date
Expected End Date
Participating Countries
Description
Antimicrobial (AM) agents (e.g. antibiotics) are used to treat bacterial infections in both humans and animals which has led to their widespread use and misuse. Drugs not completely absorbed by the animal are excreted in urine and feaces that may be used in manure, which is then applied as fertilizer to agricultural land, releasing the bacterial to the soil. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is the ability of microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses and some parasites to stop an antibiotic, from working against them and can trigger the development of AMR. Globally, about 70 000 deaths per year from resistant infections and unless action is taken, the estimated annual deaths attributable to AMR will be 10 million by 2050.
Soil is the most important vector when antibiotics are used, or when manure and slurry used as fertilizers contain antibiotics from veterinary medicine and agricultural use. While AMR has been widely studied from the angles of human and animal health, little is known about the impacts it has on the soil, the environment and on health. Current conventional chemical methods to analyse antibiotics and study ARB can analyze a broad range of target compounds, are very sensitive and allow precise quantification over a large linear range of concentrations, it cannot elucidate the fate, dynamics and persistence of antimicrobials and AMR in agricultural systems. The compound specific stable isotope analysis (CSIA) technology is a powerful tool that can provide answers, through stable isotope fingerprint, to the fate and dynamics of AM when existing molecular biological methods for monitoring methods fall short. The new proposed CRP “Isotopic Techniques to Assess the Fate of Antimicrobials and Implications for Antimicrobial Resistance in Agricultural Systems” be overall objective is to use CSIA and related techniques to trace and understand the fate, dynamics and persistence of antimicrobials and AMR in agricultural systems, and develop strategies to mitigate the spread of AM in the environment. The specific objectives are (1) to develop, evaluate and standardize integrative isotopic and conventional approaches for tracing the sources and persistence of antimicrobials and AMR in agricultural systems, (2) to apply a combination of approaches of isotopic and bioanalytical/molecular biological methods (gene detection) to different agricultural systems for assessing the dynamics of AM and implications for AMR and (3) to provide knowledge and guidance and for informed decisions that help mitigate the spread of AM and AMR in agricultural systems. The main nuclear techniques to be use is the CSIA with complementary molecular biology methods.
Objectives
To develop guidance for improving the understanding of the fate, dynamics and persistence of antimicrobials and AMR in agricultural systems based on nuclear and related techniques, and to establish a network of analytical techniques and data interpretation to support CRP network member states in developing common strategies to effectively mitigate the spread of AM and AMR in agricultural systems
Specific objectives
To develop, evaluate and standardize integrative isotopic and conventional approaches for tracing the sources and persistence of AM and AMR in agricultural systems
To apply a combination of approaches of isotopic and bioanalytical/molecular biological methods to different agricultural systems for assessing the fate and dynamics of AM and implications for AMR
To provide knowledge and guidance for informed decisions that help mitigate the spread of AM and AMR in agricultural systems