Speaker
Description
Infectious diseases caused by multidrug-resistant pathogens represent a growing global public health threat, leading to millions of deaths each year. In 2024, the revised European urban wastewater treatment directive was adopted, mandating the surveillance of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in wastewater. The AMELAG project aims to develop reliable detection methods to monitor influent wastewater. Due to its clinical relevance, carbapenemase-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae (CPKP) were selected as initial screening target for the proof-of-concept study. A filtration-based method was employed, involving colony enumeration on selective media, species verification and susceptibility testing, followed by PCR screening for key resistance genes and whole genome sequencing (WGS) of selected isolates. CPKP counts ranged between 102-104 colony-forming units (cfu)/100 ml. Overall, 326 subcultures were obtained, with 297 K. pneumoniae (93 %) including 253 (79 %) CPKP. PCR screening identified blaOXA-48 as the most common carbapenemase gene across the isolate collection, followed by blaNDM-1, blaKPC, and blaVIM. WGS revealed a broad range of sequence types among CPKP isolates, i.e. ST15, ST35, ST37, ST147, ST258, ST273, ST307, and ST485. Overall, the combination of culture-based methods and molecular analysis demonstrates a promising framework for monitoring and characterizing AMR in influent wastewater.
Keywords
Antimicrobial resistance, wastewater surveillance, carbapenemase-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae
| Registration ID | OHS25-64 |
|---|---|
| Professional Status of the Speaker | Postdoc |
| Junior Scientist Status | Yes, I am a Junior Scientist. |
Author
Co-authors
External references
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