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Exploring the contribution of bacteriophages to the emergence and spread of antibiotic resistance in environmental settings

Objective

Antibiotic resistance has become a global public health concern. Although this phenomenon has been widely studied in clinical settings, its impact has not been extensively explored in environmental settings. 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. Moreover, the large-scale mixing of environmental bacteria with exogenous bacteria from anthropogenic sources provides the ideal selective and ecological conditions for the emergence of resistant bacteria. As a consequence, aquatic environments may provide ideal settings for the horizontal exchange of antibiotic resistance genes. Our working hypothesis is that bacteriophages (phages) play an important (and overlooked) role in the acquisition, maintenance and spread of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in environmental settings, particularly under anthropogenic disturbances. The specific aims of the ENVIROSTOME project are (i) to determine the contribution of phages to the horizontal transfer of ARGs in aquatic environments, and (ii) to investigate the impact of conventional and novel disinfection approaches in wastewater treatment on the prevalence of ARG-carrying phages in aquatic environments. Dr. Balcazár’s group have demonstrated that environmental phages contain a large diversity of ARGs, which warrants further research to clarify their contribution to the emergence of antibiotic resistance among environmental bacteria, as well as to investigate their control through disinfection. The results of this research are expected to deliver critical insights for tackling the global crisis of antibiotic resistance. The project is also supported by an intersectoral secondment with the world-class water intelligence company BlueTech Research and by its founder and CEO, Paul O'Callaghan.

Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)

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Keywords

Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)

Programme(s)

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Topic(s)

Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.

Funding Scheme

Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.

MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)

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Call for proposal

Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.

(opens in new window) H2020-MSCA-IF-2017

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Coordinator

FUNDACIO INSTITUT CATALA DE RECERCA DE L'AIGUA
Net EU contribution

Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.

€ 170 121,60
Address
CALLE EMILI GRAHIT EDIFICI H20 101
17003 Girona
Spain

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Region
Este Cataluña Girona
Activity type
Research Organisations
Links
Total cost

The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.

€ 170 121,60
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