Ph.D. Proposal Defense Seminar of Emma Dempsey

Assessing Risks of Antimicrobial Resistance from Human Associated Discharge: A One Health Approach 

Aquatic environments that receive input from human associated sources such as wastewater discharge and agricultural runoff may act as reservoirs for antimicrobial resistant bacteria (ARB) and genes (ARG). Additionally, rural wastewater treatment plants (WTTPS) are overburdened by aging infrastructure, tourism, and development, leading to increased fecal contamination in discharged effluent. This is a problem because coastal estuaries provide essential ecosystem services, supporting shellfish aquaculture and recreational activities, and microbial contamination of these waters poses a public health risk. The proposed research will employ a One Health approach to further the understanding of the threat of antimicrobial resistance, considering human, animal and environmental disciplines. This work is novel because it will provide a methodological framework for developing environmental AMR surveillance protocols that can be applied in comparable waterbodies on a global scale. Creating accessible, standardized and lower cost/resource intensive methods will generate more data and guide impactful mitigation of anthropogenic pollution in natural environments.