Project description
Exploring the dissemination risks for antibiotic resistance and virulence genes
Resource recovery approaches, such as the use of sewage sludge, livestock manure, and reclaimed water in agriculture, are crucial for sustainable development. However, if not managed properly, they could facilitate the dissemination of antibiotic-resistant pathogens, and their associated virulence genes (VGs) and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), exacerbating the global health crisis. While efforts exist to curb antimicrobial resistance, the role and fate of VGs remain largely unexplored. With the support of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the VIRULENCE project aims to increase understanding of how novel resource recovery technologies may influence the dissemination and mitigation of VGs and ARGs. By comprehensing these genes and their potential impact on ecosystems, the associated risks can be addressed more effectively.
Objective
The secret behind a successful pathogenic bacteria lies on achieving the perfect balance between virulence and resistance. Virulence genes (VGs) and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) can be co-localized in the same mobile genetic element, and thus can be transmitted together in a single horizontal gene transfer event. In the last decades, the number of bacteria carrying VGs and ARGs has increased significantly, and their dissemination is amongst the greatest global threats to human health. These genes are released into the environment during the discharge of treated wastewater and via the recycling of organic waste products. Considering that human, animal, and environment health are interconnected under the One Health concept, limiting their dissemination into the environment by implementing effective waste/wastewater treatment technologies is a major option for limiting the emergence of these pathogens. Despite the research efforts focused on ARGs, the spread of VGs has barely been studied, omitting a huge problem that cannot be separated from antimicrobial resistance. This proposal will address both fundamental and applied aspects of the problematic. Fundamentally, this proposal will provide a more comprehensive overview of the diversity of VGs (and their co-occurrence with ARGs) in the wastewater treatment network and will study their (co)transferability within complex microbial communities. In addition, this project will study, for the first time, the fate of VGs (and their co-occurrence with ARGs) during/after waste/wastewater treatment, also assessing the impact of different operational parameters on their mitigation. Particular attention will be paid to the impact that potential approaches allowing resource recovery (e.g. nutrient and carbon recovery through manure/sludge application as fertiliser) on VGs/ARGs dissemination. With the emergence of superbugs being one of the main human health threats that we face, the importance of this proposal is obvious.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- engineering and technology environmental engineering waste management waste treatment processes recycling
- engineering and technology environmental engineering water treatment processes wastewater treatment processes
- natural sciences biological sciences microbiology bacteriology
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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)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
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Topic(s)
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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.
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.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
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Call for proposal
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Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2022-PF-01
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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.
75007 Paris
France
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