MIMS Seminar - Department of Molecular Biology
Speaker:
Tanel Tenson
Title:
Transfer routes of antibiotic resistance
Host: Vasili Hauryliuk, MIMS
Place: Major Groove, Bldg 6M, NUS
Antibiotics are some of the most influential innovations of medicine. However, the spread of resistance is a considerable threat that might take us back to the pre-antibiotic era. The problem is perceived as medical, although more than half of the amount of antibiotics produced is consumed in animal husbandry where resistance can also easily emerge.
The resistance can spread through food products, waste water systems, agricultural practices etc. Isolated transfer events have been characterised that outline these transfer routes, but we lack a quantitative knowledge about the extent and importance of the different segments.
Therefore, we have analyzed resistant bacteria critical for medicine in Southern Estonia, with emphasis on the settings around Tartu. The strains were collected from human samples, animal husbandry, ground waters, sewage and characterized by measuring antibiotic sensitivity patterns and whole genome sequencing. The results suggest transfer routes between the different segments under study.