Professor Linda Lawton l.lawton@rgu.ac.uk
Professor
Nationwide surveillance of antimicrobial resistance in the Scottish population by wastewater-based epidemiology
People Involved
Dr Bruce Petrie b.r.petrie@rgu.ac.uk
Associate Professor
Project Description
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the most significant threats to global health we face today. The WHO outlined in their AMR Global Action Plan that surveillance of AMR is essential to strengthen our knowledge and evidence base, and for the development and monitoring of interventions. However, existing AMR surveillance can be restricted to sampling of individuals and is often limited to healthcare settings. Therefore, alternative approaches, that provide population level AMR data in a fast and cost-effective manner compared with traditional sampling of individuals is urgently required.
The analysis of wastewater from entire cities offers the unique opportunity to monitor AMR at a population level. Wastewater contains a fingerprint of chemical and biological markers that can be measured to diagnose the health of a whole population. For example, this approach [wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE)] has successfully tracked the spread of SARS-CoV-2 in near real-time. However, work is needed to adapt this approach specifically for AMR and to unlock its full potential for this application. The purpose of this research is to establish a WBE approach for AMR and apply it to monitor AMR in the Scottish population.
The project will provide the most comprehensive data on AMR in Scotland, complimenting the existing and growing data on AMR from individuals sampled in healthcare settings to inform targeted interventions.
| Status | Project Live |
|---|---|
| Value | £133,384.00 |
| Project Dates | Oct 1, 2023 - Sep 30, 2027 |
| Partner Organisations | NHS Highland |
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