Tackling AMR in Wastewater Systems with Sneaky Bacteria
Lead Research Organisation:
Newcastle University
Department Name: Sch of Engineering
Abstract
Domestic wastewater treatment is among the main reasons why community health has improved dramatically since Victorian Times. Waste treatment plants (WTPs) effectively remove pathogens, carbon, and nitrogen, creating a healthier environment and reducing the waterborne infectious disease. However, WTPs were never designed to remove contemporary contaminants, such as antimicrobial resistant bacteria (ARB) or genes (ARG). Current WTPs reduce many ARBs/ARGs from wastes, but the "worst" sub-fraction of ARGs increase in WTPs, especially multi-ARGs (MRGs) that create the potential for indestructible pathogens. Researchers have been studying why multidrug resistance (MDR) is selected in WTPs. However, the cause is unknown, which impacts the long-term resilience of our water infrastructure.
In the 1950s, German researchers observed a strange bacterial form in activated sludge (AS) in WTPs, called L-form bacteria. L-forms are "normal" bacteria that temporarily lose their cell wall. Although interesting, this observation was not pursued further. However, medical researchers recently discovered that L-form bacteria are common in MDR urinary tract (u-tract) infections, and my speculation is that L-form bacteria, which are intrinsically MDR, might be the "unknown" cause of MDR in WTP effluents. To test this bright idea, ~40 samples were collected from two UK WTPs and very high levels of L-form strains were found, especially in AS floc. Further, all L-form strains were putative "gut" bacteria, implying MDR in WTP effluents may be due to the selective survival of gut-originated L-form bacteria that "hide" in floc (in pseudo-dormant state) and then "sneak" back into WTP effluents because they survive waste treatment in their L-form state.
The project do the following:
- Develop better methods for detecting L-forms in wastewater;
- Quantify environmental conditions in WTPs where L-form bacteria are selected and hide, and determine what triggers their reactivation;
- Identify gene expression targets that promote/repress the L-form state and identify specific locations in WTPs where L-forms can be selectively destroyed; and
- Perform bench- and pilot-scale reactor work to develop new treatment strategies to reduce MDR, especially aimed at reducing L-form survival in WTPs effluents.
We already have >700 microbial MDR isolates from WTPs in the UK, Spain and India, although few have been tested for L-form development. However, early data suggest L-forms are common in AS, consistent with German observations. Within this context, work initially will focus on characterising our current MDR isolates in detail, especially categorising strains prone to L-formation and also identifying the presence and absence of key "L-form trigger genes" (in our isolates). Target genes will be refined and tested for diagnostics of L-forms, and also how their prevalence and local environments relate to MDR indictors (using qPCR, NGS and resistomics). With these data, structured sampling will be performed with three industrial partners on eight full-scale WTPs with different biological treatment technologies to identify "hot spots" of L-form selection and survival. Locale data will be used to guide lab- and pilot-scale testing of new and retrofit technologies to reduce MDR levels in WTP effluents, which will inform strategies for increasing resilience in our urban water infrastructure, especially reducing AMR spread and protecting community health.
This proposal will deliver key outcomes for A Healthy and Resilient Nation, specifically H2, H3, R2 and R3, because it will generate basic and practical data that impacts all WTP designs in future; designs to reduce MRGs released to the environment. Beyond this outcome, transcendent discoveries will be made on the genetics, ecology and selection of L-form strains, which will inform the medical community on MDR infections and also improve diagnostics in both clinical and environmental settings.
In the 1950s, German researchers observed a strange bacterial form in activated sludge (AS) in WTPs, called L-form bacteria. L-forms are "normal" bacteria that temporarily lose their cell wall. Although interesting, this observation was not pursued further. However, medical researchers recently discovered that L-form bacteria are common in MDR urinary tract (u-tract) infections, and my speculation is that L-form bacteria, which are intrinsically MDR, might be the "unknown" cause of MDR in WTP effluents. To test this bright idea, ~40 samples were collected from two UK WTPs and very high levels of L-form strains were found, especially in AS floc. Further, all L-form strains were putative "gut" bacteria, implying MDR in WTP effluents may be due to the selective survival of gut-originated L-form bacteria that "hide" in floc (in pseudo-dormant state) and then "sneak" back into WTP effluents because they survive waste treatment in their L-form state.
The project do the following:
- Develop better methods for detecting L-forms in wastewater;
- Quantify environmental conditions in WTPs where L-form bacteria are selected and hide, and determine what triggers their reactivation;
- Identify gene expression targets that promote/repress the L-form state and identify specific locations in WTPs where L-forms can be selectively destroyed; and
- Perform bench- and pilot-scale reactor work to develop new treatment strategies to reduce MDR, especially aimed at reducing L-form survival in WTPs effluents.
We already have >700 microbial MDR isolates from WTPs in the UK, Spain and India, although few have been tested for L-form development. However, early data suggest L-forms are common in AS, consistent with German observations. Within this context, work initially will focus on characterising our current MDR isolates in detail, especially categorising strains prone to L-formation and also identifying the presence and absence of key "L-form trigger genes" (in our isolates). Target genes will be refined and tested for diagnostics of L-forms, and also how their prevalence and local environments relate to MDR indictors (using qPCR, NGS and resistomics). With these data, structured sampling will be performed with three industrial partners on eight full-scale WTPs with different biological treatment technologies to identify "hot spots" of L-form selection and survival. Locale data will be used to guide lab- and pilot-scale testing of new and retrofit technologies to reduce MDR levels in WTP effluents, which will inform strategies for increasing resilience in our urban water infrastructure, especially reducing AMR spread and protecting community health.
This proposal will deliver key outcomes for A Healthy and Resilient Nation, specifically H2, H3, R2 and R3, because it will generate basic and practical data that impacts all WTP designs in future; designs to reduce MRGs released to the environment. Beyond this outcome, transcendent discoveries will be made on the genetics, ecology and selection of L-form strains, which will inform the medical community on MDR infections and also improve diagnostics in both clinical and environmental settings.
Planned Impact
This project will transform approaches for reducing antimicrobial resistance (AMR), especially multidrug resistance (MDR) released from wastewater treatment plants (WTPs). The work will deliver outcomes contributing to a "Healthy" and "Resilient" Nation, specifically addressing H2 (improve prevention), H3 (optimise diagnosis), R2 (ensure a reliable infrastructure), and R3 (develop better solutions to health threats). It will use a wholly new idea from cell biology (i.e., selection and survival of L-from bacteria) to develop new and less costly engineering options for reducing MDR in WTPs, which could change the way we view AMR and wastewater treatment in future applications.
Although this project will immediately benefit the water industry, it also benefits other sectors, including city, national and international governments; the public health sector; regulatory agencies; the pharmaceutical industry; and society as a whole. Specifically, growing concern exists over increasing AMR in human and veterinary medicine, and mounting evidence suggests inadequately treated wastewater significantly impacts AMR in the environment, even in the UK. We deservedly trust our WTPs, but they still release disproportionately high levels of MDR, which this project aims to address from a wholly new perspective.
Each sector will benefit in different ways. The public health sector will be provided new knowledge on root causes of MDR in WTPs, and also will be provided new biochemical and genetic data needed to develop better diagnostic tools for MDR detection in clinical and environmental samples. The pharmaceutical industry will benefit by our solutions reducing the spread of AMR through more resilient WTPs, making drug discovery more justifiable and extending the commercial-life of existing antimicrobials. Regulatory agencies (e.g., local governments, environment agencies) will gain by being provided better informed, scientifically robust metadata essential to develop environmental risk management guidance related to AMR and WTPs. As a result, society as a whole will benefit by improved resilience in current and future WTP designs, specifically reducing AMR released in effluents to our water environment.
A wide range of vehicles will be employed to maximise impact of the project. The project includes water industry stakeholders, which will act as an ad hoc Project Advisory Group, providing advice, guidance, access to WTPs, and a pathway for industrial outreach on the project. Impact also will be promoted by publication in leading environmental publications, and presentation at environmental AMR and microbiology meetings, including EDAR5 in Hong Kong and ISME17 in Leipzig. Further, our existing network of contacts will be used disseminate findings to national and international organisations, including the WHO and PACCARB in the US with whom the PI already works. Finally, social and traditional media (TV and radio) will be employed to instantly provide information of community value to the wider public; platforms on which our group has been very successful in the recent past.
Overall, this project with reconsider what fundamentally drives MDR in bacteria, particularly altering their form to an L-form state, which renders bacteria in WTP effluents intrinsically MDR. Through such discoveries and wide stakeholder connections, impact and dissemination of work will be assured, including translation to other disciplines, such as MDR diagnosis and prevention in medicine. However, the ultimate aim is to use engineering to create a healthier, resilient environment in the UK, but then to extend those benefits, which have significant altruistic and economic value, to the wider world.
Although this project will immediately benefit the water industry, it also benefits other sectors, including city, national and international governments; the public health sector; regulatory agencies; the pharmaceutical industry; and society as a whole. Specifically, growing concern exists over increasing AMR in human and veterinary medicine, and mounting evidence suggests inadequately treated wastewater significantly impacts AMR in the environment, even in the UK. We deservedly trust our WTPs, but they still release disproportionately high levels of MDR, which this project aims to address from a wholly new perspective.
Each sector will benefit in different ways. The public health sector will be provided new knowledge on root causes of MDR in WTPs, and also will be provided new biochemical and genetic data needed to develop better diagnostic tools for MDR detection in clinical and environmental samples. The pharmaceutical industry will benefit by our solutions reducing the spread of AMR through more resilient WTPs, making drug discovery more justifiable and extending the commercial-life of existing antimicrobials. Regulatory agencies (e.g., local governments, environment agencies) will gain by being provided better informed, scientifically robust metadata essential to develop environmental risk management guidance related to AMR and WTPs. As a result, society as a whole will benefit by improved resilience in current and future WTP designs, specifically reducing AMR released in effluents to our water environment.
A wide range of vehicles will be employed to maximise impact of the project. The project includes water industry stakeholders, which will act as an ad hoc Project Advisory Group, providing advice, guidance, access to WTPs, and a pathway for industrial outreach on the project. Impact also will be promoted by publication in leading environmental publications, and presentation at environmental AMR and microbiology meetings, including EDAR5 in Hong Kong and ISME17 in Leipzig. Further, our existing network of contacts will be used disseminate findings to national and international organisations, including the WHO and PACCARB in the US with whom the PI already works. Finally, social and traditional media (TV and radio) will be employed to instantly provide information of community value to the wider public; platforms on which our group has been very successful in the recent past.
Overall, this project with reconsider what fundamentally drives MDR in bacteria, particularly altering their form to an L-form state, which renders bacteria in WTP effluents intrinsically MDR. Through such discoveries and wide stakeholder connections, impact and dissemination of work will be assured, including translation to other disciplines, such as MDR diagnosis and prevention in medicine. However, the ultimate aim is to use engineering to create a healthier, resilient environment in the UK, but then to extend those benefits, which have significant altruistic and economic value, to the wider world.
People |
ORCID iD |
David Graham (Principal Investigator) |
Publications
Bunce J
(2019)
A Simple Approach to Predicting the Reliability of Small Wastewater Treatment Plants
in Water
Graham D
(2019)
Complexities in understanding antimicrobial resistance across domesticated animal, human, and environmental systems
in Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
Hassoun-Kheir N
(2020)
Comparison of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and antibiotic resistance genes abundance in hospital and community wastewater: A systematic review.
in The Science of the total environment
Hassoun-Kheir N
(2021)
EMBRACE-WATERS statement: Recommendations for reporting of studies on antimicrobial resistance in wastewater and related aquatic environments.
in One health (Amsterdam, Netherlands)
Jones DL
(2020)
Shedding of SARS-CoV-2 in feces and urine and its potential role in person-to-person transmission and the environment-based spread of COVID-19.
in The Science of the total environment
Jong MC
(2018)
Co-optimization of sponge-core bioreactors for removing total nitrogen and antibiotic resistance genes from domestic wastewater.
in The Science of the total environment
Jong MC
(2020)
Impact of Redox Conditions on Antibiotic Resistance Conjugative Gene Transfer Frequency and Plasmid Fate in Wastewater Ecosystems.
in Environmental science & technology
Lamba M
(2018)
Carbapenem resistance exposures via wastewaters across New Delhi.
in Environment international
Li L
(2021)
Extended-Spectrum ß-Lactamase and Carbapenemase Genes are Substantially and Sequentially Reduced during Conveyance and Treatment of Urban Sewage.
in Environmental science & technology
Manaia C
(2023)
The Complex Interplay Between Antibiotic Resistance and Pharmaceutical and Personal Care Products in the Environment
in Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry
Manaia C
(2020)
Antibiotic Resistance in the Environment - A Worldwide Overview
McCann CM
(2019)
Understanding drivers of antibiotic resistance genes in High Arctic soil ecosystems.
in Environment international
Ott A
(2021)
Developing Surrogate Markers for Predicting Antibiotic Resistance "Hot Spots" in Rivers Where Limited Data Are Available.
in Environmental science & technology
Ott A
(2021)
Improved quantitative microbiome profiling for environmental antibiotic resistance surveillance
in Environmental Microbiome
Ovis-Sánchez JO
(2023)
Exploring resistomes and microbiomes in pilot-scale microalgae-bacteria wastewater treatment systems for use in low-resource settings.
in The Science of the total environment
Polo D
(2020)
Making waves: Wastewater-based epidemiology for COVID-19 - approaches and challenges for surveillance and prediction.
in Water research
Quintela-Baluja M
(2019)
Spatial ecology of a wastewater network defines the antibiotic resistance genes in downstream receiving waters.
in Water research
Quintela-Baluja M
(2022)
Rapid Proteomic Characterization of Bacteriocin-Producing Enterococcus faecium Strains from Foodstuffs.
in International journal of molecular sciences
Quintela-Baluja M
(2022)
Draft Genome Sequences of Two Bacteriocin-Producing Enterococcus faecium Strains Isolated from Nonfermented Animal Foods in Spain.
in Microbiology resource announcements
Quintela-Baluja M
(2022)
Nearly Complete Genome Sequence of Raoultella ornithinolytica Strain MQB_Silv_108, Carrying an Uncommon Extended-Spectrum-ß-Lactamase-like bla BEL Gene
in Microbiology Resource Announcements
Quintela-Baluja M
(2021)
Dynamics of integron structures across a wastewater network - Implications to resistance gene transfer
in Water Research
Rodríguez D
(2020)
Effect of ß -lactamases associated to the resistance of ß -lactam antibiotics on the treatment of wastewater
in Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering
Scott HM
(2019)
Critically important antibiotics: criteria and approaches for measuring and reducing their use in food animal agriculture.
in Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
Sharvini S
(2021)
Environmental impact evaluation of decentralized sewage treatment technologies: A life cycle assessment approach
in Water and Environment Journal
Thongsamer T
(2021)
Environmental antimicrobial resistance is associated with faecal pollution in Central Thailand's coastal aquaculture region.
in Journal of hazardous materials
Velasquez-Orta S
(2018)
Retrofitting options for wastewater networks to achieve climate change reduction targets
in Applied Energy
Yin X
(2023)
Toward a Universal Unit for Quantification of Antibiotic Resistance Genes in Environmental Samples
in Environmental Science & Technology
Description | Although not yet published, we have found that L-form bacteria are very common in wastewater systems, including in antimicrobial resistant (AMR) strains, including pathogens. We have isolated over 200 strains, which have been phenotyped and genotyped, A subset for strains, including putative pathogens that form and do not form L-form states, all of the which we have had genomes sequenced. There is not clear identified genetic differences in L-form and non L-form states, which suggest differences are in regulation rather than sequence. Therefore, we still do not have a good way of identifying L-form bacteria within actual treatment processes. However, we are continuing examination of the isolates, especially related to sequencing vancomycyn-resistant phenotypes and their plasmids. Additionally, we are examining the role of protozoan predatory activity on AMR bacterial fate in WWTPs. During our earlier experiments, we noted that AMR strains were much lower where elevated protozoa were apparent, therefore we have developed a parallel study stream examining this as an alternate hypothesis of different levels of AMR survival. |
Exploitation Route | To it too soon to tell. We know AMR L-form bacteria exist in wastewater systems, but to determine whether this is important or not relative to reducing AMR cannot be determined until; we can identify L-form strains in actual processes. As noted, we took what we learned here and are now applying to pandemic questions, providing huge added value and impact. However, we plan on returning and finishing this work once the pandemic needs decline. This problem has continued through 2022. However, we have been able to use what we learned in this project to enhance our work on SARS-CoV-2 and other pandemic work. We adapted methods for working with L-forms to other contexts, including virus, which has been the most positive outcome of this project. |
Sectors | Environment Healthcare Manufacturing including Industrial Biotechology Pharmaceuticals and Medical Biotechnology |
Description | This project provided a platform for new work that uses wastewater for community health surveillance. The project focused on characterising difficult organisms in wastewater environments. The pandemic influenced the work here, but in a positive way because we needed to revise methods we developed herein for seeking other difficult "organisms", including virus instead of bacteria. |
First Year Of Impact | 2020 |
Sector | Communities and Social Services/Policy,Environment,Healthcare,Government, Democracy and Justice,Pharmaceuticals and Medical Biotechnology |
Impact Types | Policy & public services |
Description | Citation to research in the US CDC and Wellcome Report on AMR |
Geographic Reach | Multiple continents/international |
Policy Influence Type | Citation in other policy documents |
URL | https://wellcome.ac.uk/sites/default/files/antimicrobial-resistance-environment-report.pdf |
Description | Evidence of Wider Environmental Transmission of SARS-CoV-2: Assessing risk of transmission through outdoor air, water, outdoor surfaces, and food - Transmission of Covid-19 in the Wider Environment Group (TWEG), reporting to UK Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) [DW Graham co-author] |
Geographic Reach | National |
Policy Influence Type | Implementation circular/rapid advice/letter to e.g. Ministry of Health |
Impact | A number of significant evidence gaps hamper assessment of transmission risk of SARS-CoV2 through environmental pathways. While various studies have detected viral RNA signatures from environmental samples (from air, water, treated effluents and sewage and surfaces) using RT-PCR, infectivity has not been assessed in most cases. Very few studies have investigated the presence of infective virus using culture techniques. In addition, the infective dose of SARSCoV-2 is still uncertain. Assessments of risk and uncertainty therefore draw heavily on expert judgement and knowledge of other pathogens throughout this document. The level of risk of catching SARS-CoV-2 from the environment is highly dependent on the levels of infective SARSCoV-2 circulating in the population and its geographical spread. |
URL | https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/8996... |
Description | Initiatives for Addressing Antimicrobial Resistance in the Environment: Current Situation and Challenges. Prepared for U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the UK Science & Innovation Network, and the Wellcome Trust [co-authored by D Graham]aham |
Geographic Reach | Multiple continents/international |
Policy Influence Type | Implementation circular/rapid advice/letter to e.g. Ministry of Health |
Impact | Key points taken from report Executive Summary: • Antimicrobial resistance (AMR)-when microbes (i.e., bacteria and fungi) develop the ability to defeat the drugs designed to combat them-is a public health threat and global priority. Resistant pathogens can cause infections in humans that are difficult or impossible to treat. • Scientific evidence shows that antimicrobials and antimicrobial-resistant microbes are present and can persist and travel (spread) through the environment (waterways and soils). Human activity can contaminate the environment with antimicrobials and antimicrobial-resistant microbes, which can accelerate the development and spread of resistance. • Contamination can occur from human and animal waste, pharmaceutical manufacturing waste, and use of antimicrobial pesticides for crops; however, the scale and risk associated with this contamination is not fully understood. There are outstanding scientific questions related to the presence and impact of antimicrobial-resistant microbes in the environment and the direct risk posed to human health. • The environment is a key element of the One Health framework. It is necessary to better understand risks, prioritize action to address antimicrobial-resistant microbes in the environment where potential risks to human health are greatest, and cultivate a collaborative global approach. • Scientific review suggests that there are actions that could improve understanding and guide action: - A better understanding of hospital waste treatment in different global settings is a priority, requiring establishment of evidence-based waste standards and implementation of effective waste management practices and capabilities where interventions are most needed. - Good hygiene and sanitation, including effective waste disposal and treatment, are important ways to mitigate the risk of antimicrobial-resistant microbes in the environment associated with human waste and wastewater contamination. - When feasible, contamination by animal waste could be reduced by improving antimicrobial use, developing alternative disease control methods (e.g., vaccines), and improving the quality of the rearing environment to help reduce the need for antimicrobials. - Agreement on a discharge limit for effluents leaving manufacturing sites and standardized monitoring and reporting of effluent levels could significantly reduce contamination and potential human health risks associated with exposure to resistant microbes in the environment. - Potential risks from using antimicrobials on crops could be reduced through greater global transparency of antimicrobial use, implementation of best management practices when applying antimicrobials as pesticides, and greater use of alternative disease prevention and treatment strategies. • To maximize potential impact, align activities to address antimicrobial-resistant microbes in the environment (e.g., addressing knowledge gaps) with existing global public health and development efforts, such as Sustainable Development Goals; the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Initiative; and the Global Health Security Agenda. |
URL | https://wellcome.org/sites/default/files/antimicrobial-resistance-environment-report.pdf |
Description | Monitoring the presence and infection risk of SARS-CoV-2 in the environment: approaches, limitations and interpretation - Transmission of Covid-19 in the Wider Environment Group (TWEG), reporting to UK Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) [DW Graham co-author] |
Geographic Reach | National |
Policy Influence Type | Implementation circular/rapid advice/letter to e.g. Ministry of Health |
Impact | This paper provides an overview of the key principles and approaches to monitor SARSCoV-2 in the environment. It covers sampling from water (freshwater, wastewater and marine), air and surfaces (including surfaces of food), and discusses the strengths and limitations of key detection methods. It is intended as a primer for Government officials, managers of organisations and those without technical expertise in the subject who may be considering the need for assessing Covid-19 risk in a setting for which they are responsible. While it is not an in-depth review or a methods manual, it provides some guidance on how to interpret research results and environmental monitoring data. References to more detailed specialist literature are provided. |
URL | https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/9458... |
Description | Monitoring wastewater for COVID-19. Prepared for The Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology [Author: Amelie Ott, with contributions by D Graham and M Quintela-Baluja] |
Geographic Reach | National |
Policy Influence Type | Implementation circular/rapid advice/letter to e.g. Ministry of Health |
Impact | This impartial brief was prepared for Members of the House of Commons and the House of Lords to get them up to spread on wastewater monitoring for Covid-19. This review is written in plain English making it accessible to a broad audience. Additionally, it identifies the government-led projects for England, Wales and Scotland and how information gathered by these projects are passed on to NHS Test and Trace and the local council, who were able to alert local health professionals to the increased risk and contact people in the area to warn of the increase in cases. |
URL | https://post.parliament.uk/monitoring-wastewater-for-covid-19/ |
Description | Technical brief on water, sanitation, hygiene and wastewater management to prevent infections and reduce the spread of antimicrobial resistance. Published by World Health Organization, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, and World Organisation for Animal Health [D Graham co-author] |
Geographic Reach | Multiple continents/international |
Policy Influence Type | Implementation circular/rapid advice/letter to e.g. Ministry of Health |
Impact | This document defines the six Action Areas that need to be addressed to reduce global AMR, especially in LMICs via full WaSH implementation. The Technical Brief has been translated into six languages so far and is underpinning One Health solutions to AMR around the world. |
URL | https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240006416 |
Description | WHO/FAO/OIE Policy linking WASH Implementation and AMR Mitigation |
Geographic Reach | Multiple continents/international |
Policy Influence Type | Membership of a guideline committee |
Impact | The policy provides evidence that implementing WASH and decentralised sanitation can reduce AMR spread in LMICs. The formal WHO/FAO/OIE Policy Brief has not yet become public (expected April 2020), but its content already has been shared with some governments and evident changes are occurring on the ground. One of the goals of the Brief is to provide a template for developing AMR National Action Plans, which was among key elements contributed by our work. |
Description | Embedding Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) and Childhood Malnutrition Studies in South Asia into World Health Organisation (WHO) Policy |
Amount | £27,033 (GBP) |
Organisation | Newcastle University |
Sector | Academic/University |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 03/2020 |
End | 12/2020 |
Description | GCRF Water Security and Sustainable Development Award |
Amount | £17,100,000 (GBP) |
Funding ID | ES/S008179/1 |
Organisation | Economic and Social Research Council |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 02/2019 |
End | 02/2024 |
Description | Chinese National Academy of Science - Xiamen |
Organisation | Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences |
Country | China |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | We are working with CAS (w/ Prof Yong-Guan Zhu) on samples from this project using our extraction methods and their multiplex qPCR methods. This is an extension of on-going joint work. |
Collaborator Contribution | We are sharing resistome samples for comparisons between samples within this new project, our previous collabarotion on ARC AMR, and their samples from Antartica and Tibet. The goal of this additional work is to determine how background AMR gene levels compare in "remote" locations around the world. |
Impact | None as of yet, but are about to submit a manuscript on AMR levels in the High Arctic. |
Start Year | 2012 |
Title | New treatment core for Dentrifying Downflow Hanging Sponge (DDHS) reactors |
Description | The patent application has just been submitted and the paperwork is complete. DDHS are among the options available for local-scale waste treatment in locations like rural Malaysia. The optimised core allows the reactor remove Total Nitrogen, AMR genes and infectious disease from wastewater in a highly effective manner at local scales. No other technology has been proven to do this. Further data to confirm the value of the technology is being gained in the Newton Institutional and other awards. |
IP Reference | Not available yet |
Protection | Patent application published |
Year Protection Granted | 2019 |
Licensed | Commercial In Confidence |
Impact | None yet. However, we are currently negotiating the scale up of the technology being tested in the Newton award to full-scale, both in Malaysia and also in India. |
Description | 9th World Water Forum: "One Water One Health" |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | A special webinar was held on March 24 at the 9th World Water Forum called "One Water One Health". It was co-hosted by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), World Health Organization (WHO), and World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) and examines "AMR in the Environment" from a One Health perspective, including transmission and spread in water systems. "This session fosters awareness and multistakeholder dialogue that brings together the tripartite organisations namely the UN FAO, WHO, OIE, and UNEP with the government, the private sector, and experts from environment, health, and WASH sectors. The event presents an opportunity to understand the multitude of water and health linkages and antimicrobial resistance from a water environment perspective, specifically the scope of the problem, sources, drivers, transmissions mechanisms, and the implications to global water security and mitigation actions." During the webinar, I spoke about the role of the wider environment on antimicrobial resistance spread. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
URL | https://www.fao.org/land-water/news-archive/news-detail/en/c/1477175/ |
Description | Adviser and co-author of new WASH guidance from the World Health Organisation relative to AMR - David Graham |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
Results and Impact | As a result of working with the US CDC, Graham was invited to advise and co-write WASH guidance. The guidance document is currently in revision (as of 02/19) with a planned publication date of 05/19. Our role was to write sections on the value of incremental sanitation improvements to reduce AMR and infectious disease. Our work was informed by all our prejects that relate environmental AMR and contaminated soils and water. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018,2019 |
Description | Annual Graham Group Newsletter |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Other audiences |
Results and Impact | Annual Graham Research Group newsletter available online and set as a pdf to interested parties. It highlight the group's research efforts and compliments the group's research blog. It provides a condensed version for our funders, research partners, university colleagues, alumni, and students as well as friends and family. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020,2021 |
URL | https://blogs.ncl.ac.uk/grahamr/?page_id=31 |
Description | Antimicrobial Resistance Podcast Series from Royal Society of Chemistry |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | This series investigates the nature of AMR threats and what can be done to tackle them. The series is part of the 'Brought to you by chemistry' podcast series sponsored by the Royal Society of Chemistry hosted by Dr Alex Lathbridge. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
URL | https://www.rsc.org/new-perspectives/brought-to-you-by-chemistry-podcast/ |
Description | Antimicrobial resistance in the environment of emerging countries [Amelie Ott] |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Other audiences |
Results and Impact | Stop-motion film entry for the Institute for Social Science Post Graduate Researcher Impact Award 2019. Awarded third place. It was posted on YouTube for 18 months but has since been made private by the creator Amelie Ott. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
Description | Article on our work in the Arabic version of the Scientific American magazine |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | We developed a rapid and simpler method for quantifying AMR gene transfer in environmental samples. One of the partners in the work was a colleague from Egypt and the work drew a lot of nice attention in the Arabic-speaking world. This led to the Arabic Scientific American doing a piece on our work, highlighting its importance people in their region but also more widely across the emerging and developing world. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
URL | https://www.scientificamerican.com/arabic/articles/news/tracing-environmental-dimension-of-spread-of... |
Description | Calls for action now to prevent next global pandemic |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Newcastle University Press Office. 12 June 2020. Accouchement the accompany the Conversation piece that call for greater international co-operation to bring about improved water, sanitation and health provision as a way to prevent the next global pandemic |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
URL | https://www.ncl.ac.uk/press/articles/latest/2020/06/amractionnowtopreventnextpandemic/ |
Description | Co-author of the whitepaper on global led by the US Center for Disease Control - David Graham |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
Results and Impact | The draft whitepaper was prepared for April 2, 2018. Graham was the oral spokesman on proposed whitepaper mitigation strategies related domestic and hospital waste management at the international forum in Vancouver on April 4 and 5. This event had 150 policymakers from around the world, representing over 40 countries. The final whitepaper was published in December 2018, which consolidated the Vancouver meeting and was released to the WHO and all governments that have contributed to the forum. The report was entitled "Initiatives for Addressing Antimicrobial Resistance in the Environment: Current Situation and Challenges" and was published on the Wellcome Trust webpage. A component of the whitepaper related to rural sanitation was informed by the Newton Institutional award, using new data collected from Malaysia. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017,2018,2019 |
URL | https://wellcome.ac.uk/sites/default/files/antimicrobial-resistance-environment-report.pdf |
Description | Coronavirus: Testing sewage an 'easy win' |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Article written by Gill V. (2 July 2020)for BBC | News | Science & Environment. It contains quotes from Professors David Graham and others related to the UK National Surveillance Programme. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
URL | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-53257101 |
Description | Decentralized WASH Systems to combat Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) workshop (Colombo, Sri Lanka) - David Graham |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | This workshop was presented on behalf of the World Health Organisation. It was held at the IWA Sustainable Development Congress & Exhibition in Colombo (Sri Lanka) to inform and guide practitioners in the water industry about their critical role in reducing AMR via improved water quality. Graham, and two colleagues from IWMI (Sri Lanka) and RIVM (the Netherlands), respectively, presented the workshop, which informed the audience of future guidance from the WHO. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
Description | Expert panel and co-writer of whitepaper sponsored by the Sackler Instuitute for Nutrition and New York Academy of Science - David Graham |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
Results and Impact | Graham is working as co-author and expert advisor in developing an integrated One Health strategy for reducing antimicrobial resistance in the animal food production industry. Initial meetings are occurring now (March 2018 to March 2019) with the goal of an international launch for proposed strategies in New York in April 2019. Launch announcement can be found at https://www.nyas.org/events/2019/antibiotics-in-animal-agriculture-what-you-need-to-know/. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018,2019 |
URL | https://www.nyas.org/events/2019/antibiotics-in-animal-agriculture-what-you-need-to-know/ |
Description | Fighting the Next Pandemic: Water quality, antimicrobial resistance, and global health |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Other audiences |
Results and Impact | 2020 Newcastle University Alumni Day lecture. 10 October 2020 |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
URL | https://youtu.be/DB5aKt7YdD8 |
Description | Ganges: sewers could be making water quality of India's great river worse [authors Milledge D and Bunce JT] |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | The article touches on the fact that sewers may be making the Ganges water quality worse. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
URL | https://theconversation.com/ganges-sewers-could-be-making-water-quality-of-indias-great-river-worse-... |
Description | GrahAM Research Group Blog |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
Results and Impact | This is my group's research blog. I highlights current activities, while listing key engagment activities. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020,2021,2022,2023 |
URL | https://blogs.ncl.ac.uk/grahamr/ |
Description | GrahAMR Research Group Blog |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Other audiences |
Results and Impact | The GrahAM Research Group blog highlights the work of the Graham research team, focusing primarily on work surrounding antimicrobial resistance (AMR), taking a collaborative and multidisciplinary approach to global health and well-being. The team of researchers, led by Newcastle University Prof David W Graham, utilises a holistic 'One Health Approach', and contributes to several of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Our research provides guidance to various international organisations, including the World Health Organisation, and bridges sustainable development, engineering, health, and sociotechnical mitigation options for reducing global AMR. The main topics we explore are the transmission, fate and impact of antibiotic resistance genes in the environment resulting from human activity; energy minimization in water, wastewater and solid waste management systems; the microbiology and ecology of greenhouse gas suppression and production in geochemical settings, especially in Polar regions; and water and environmental quality in the developing and emerging world. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020,2021 |
URL | https://blogs.ncl.ac.uk/grahamr/ |
Description | Health Protection Assurance Board for the City of Newcastle Director of Health Member |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | I am a member of Health Protection Assurance Board for the City of Newcastle Director of Health. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022,2023 |
Description | Heavy metal pollution can increase antibiotic resistance in rivers |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | The press release stated in part "Research by Newcastle University and the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi quantified antibiotic and metal resistance in sediments from the Ganges and Yamuna Rivers in India and streams in the River Tyne catchment. The results show heavy metals, which are high in the River Tyne catchment due to historic mining and industrial activity, relate to antibiotic resistance levels in the river. The same was seen in the Indian rivers, especially in areas of industrial activity. Publishing their findings in the journal Environmental Pollution, the team investigated the relationships between heavy metals concentrations, metal resistance gene (MRG) and antibiotic resistance gene (ARG) abundances. The study shows that MRG and ARG abundances increase where metal levels are higher, suggesting reaches with metal pollution have increased antibiotic resistance, even when elevated antibiotics are not evident." |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
URL | https://www.ncl.ac.uk/press/articles/latest/2022/05/heavymetalpollutionamr/ |
Description | How testing sewage could help the UK predict COVID-19 outbreaks |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | This article written by Thomas White for CGTN (China) touches on how sewage testing could be used to predict Covid-19 outbreaks. It includes quotes from Prof David Graham. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
URL | https://newseu.cgtn.com/news/2020-07-13/How-testing-sewage-could-help-the-UK-predict-COVID-19-outbre... |
Description | India-UK team tackles antimicrobial resistance spread in waterways |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Newcastle University Press Office. 6 August 2020. Announced the launch of the AMRFlow project. Story picked up be various media outlets including: Hindustan Times, The Times of India, Deccan Herald, India Education Diary, The Times of Bengal, and The Week, India Inc. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
URL | https://www.ncl.ac.uk/press/articles/latest/2020/08/uk-indiaamrflows/ |
Description | Keynote talk at the 27TH Meeting of the Spanish Society for Microbiology |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
Results and Impact | Keynote presentation at the special symposium at the Spanish Microbiology Society meeting on antimicrobial resistance )AMR). It brought experts from across Europe. Graham's presentation was on environmental AMR spread, including results from the Darwin, Sneaky Bacteria and other projects. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
Description | Lecture series in Paraguay - Marcos Baluja |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
Results and Impact | Dr Marcos Baluja was invited to provide a series of lectures and tutorials on environmental AMR in Paraguay related to work from the project. The series spanned August and September 2019, and included six lectures in medical, environmental and governmental agencies, but also meetings with senior politicians, including the the Minister of the Environment. An MOU between Newcastle University UNA in Asuncion, which will lead to mutual projects, and student and staff exchanges between the two universities. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
Description | Lecture tour of environmental and medical institutions in Israel - David Graham |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Provided a series of lectures at different organisations in Israel, including the Rambon Healthcare Center, the Technion University, The Hebrew University (in Rehovot), and at the Ben Gurian Desert Institute, all on AMR mitigation, especially blocking environmental pathways of spread. Audiences ranged from students to healthcare professionals to academics across disciplines. These have led to collaborative work on AMR spread, initially in Ethiopia. More impact would have been seen if the UK had not ceased their funding to the JPIAMR scheme. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
Description | Moderated a global webinar for the United Nations Environment Programme on AMR in the Environment |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) held a global webinar on AMR in the Environment, which was broadcast around the world on November 20, 2021. Myself and Prof Yong-Guan Zhu (Senior Scientist at the Chinese Academy of Science) were the moderators. My own role was to bridge between speakers and I chaired a roundtable discussion after the invited speakers presented the work. The webinar has over 9000 attendees, which UNEP announced afterwards was the most attendees they had ever had at public webinar on health-related topics. It was viewed as a huge success and displayed our groups expertise across research themes. After the webinar, I was contacted by senior health officials from numerous countries to discuss the implications of the narrative from the webinar. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
URL | https://www.koushare.com/lives/room/262942 |
Description | PATH-SAFE: Tracking foodborne pathogens and antimicrobial-resistant microbes, UK Food Standards Agency, Strategic Advisory Board |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
Results and Impact | The Pathogen Surveillance in Agriculture, Food and Environment (PATH-SAFE) programme is a £19.2m Shared Outcomes Fund (SOF) research programme which aims to develop a national surveillance network, using the latest DNA-sequencing technology and environmental sampling to improve the detection, and tracking of foodborne human pathogens and AMR through the whole agri-food system from farm-to-fork. The heart of this 'virtual network will be a new data platform that will permit the analysis, storage and sharing of pathogen sequence and source data, collected from multiple locations across the UK by diverse government and public organisations (incl. FSA, FSS, DHSC, Defra and others across the devolved administrations). This single, user-friendly data system will enable rapid identification and tracking of foodborne pathogens and AMR, improving public health, and minimising the economic and environment impact of outbreaks. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022,2023 |
URL | https://acmsf.food.gov.uk/PATH-SAFE%3A%20Tracking%20Foodborne%20Pathogens%20and%20Antimicrobial%20Re... |
Description | Personal highlighted interview in an international magazine aimed healthcare professionals |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Graham was interviewed by Health Europa on relationships between sanitation and the spread of antibiotic resistance. The article was presented as a series of question and answers, specifically aimed at informing medical practitioners on the importance on environmental factors on human health. The article highlighted new methods we developed for tracking AMR in environmental samples in less developed countries. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
URL | https://www.healtheuropa.eu/sanitations-role-in-reducing-the-spread-of-amr/113200/ |
Description | Policy adviser to the World Health Organisation on AMR in revised global WASH guidance |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
Results and Impact | Graham was asked and it now jointly co-writing new guidance for the World Health Organisation on AMR within new WASH policy. This guidance centres around the relative value and impact of local scale waste management technologies that can be used for reducing AMR in low resource countries. This is a central element of the Newton Institutional award; i.e., seeking such data. First reporting of information will at the WHO meeting in Ghana on November 19-20, 2018. This is meeting will be to between 100 and 200 policy representatives from over 40 countries, but the final Policy Brief will ultimately be made public, which will the report both public and global. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018,2019 |
Description | Quadripartite Technical Group on Antimicrobial Resistance and Use Integrated Surveillance |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
Results and Impact | (QTG-AIS) established by the Quadripartite Joint Secretariat on AMR, was formed by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, United Nations Environment Programme, World Health Organization, and the World Organisation for Animal Health. It was created to provide advice and guidance on the development of global, regional and country-level integrated surveillance systems for AMR and AMU. A special goal is to establish effective surveillance capacities across all resource settings. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022,2023 |
URL | https://www.who.int/news/item/26-01-2023-the-quadripartite-organizations-established-the-technical-g... |
Description | Researchers looking at sewage to learn about COVID-19 |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | MSNBC | The 11th Hour with Brian Williams ran this piece to address - why researchers are looking to the sewers to learn more about COVID-19. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
URL | https://www.msnbc.com/11th-hour/watch/researchers-looking-at-sewage-to-learn-about-covid-19-87790661... |
Description | SARS-CoV-2 wastewater epidemiology |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | BBC Look North, 3 November 2020, with a Twitter post by Lee Johnson. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
URL | https://twitter.com/i/status/1323721151005233152 |
Description | Scientists around the world are already fighting the next pandemic |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Other audiences |
Results and Impact | Graham DW and Collignon P (9 June 2020 • 06:00 am) The Conversation. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
URL | https://theconversation.com/scientists-around-the-world-are-already-fighting-the-next-pandemic-11524... |
Description | Training Workshop on Mitigating antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) in the water cycle: Analytical methodologies and improving water quality - David Graham/David Werner |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
Results and Impact | We organised and led this workshop in association with four universities in Ethiopia, two universities in Israel, and members of the FAO and WHO. The goal was explain AMR in comparatively simple terms, and then promote new work in Ethiopia that bridges government, NGOs and academic groups in the country. It is also taught research methods. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
Description | Urgent action needed to limit the spread of superbugs |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
Results and Impact | The press release highlighted my role as co-authored of the flagship report Bracing for Superbugs: strengthening environmental action in the One Health response to antimicrobial resistance was launched at the Sixth Meeting of the Global Leaders Group on Antimicrobial Resistance AMR. It also announced my recent appointed to the UN Quadripartite Technical Group On Antimicrobial Resistance and Use Integrated Surveillance (QTG-AIS). |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
URL | https://www.ncl.ac.uk/press/articles/latest/2023/02/amrunreport/ |
Description | Webinar 3: Technical solutions for the prevention and control of AMR in the environment |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
Results and Impact | The Quadripartite, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), hosted the Antimicrobial Resistance in the Environment Webinar Series. I spoke in the session on technical solutions for the prevention and control of AMR in the environment. Talks were live, but later placed on YouTube. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfV70MNajxk |
Description | Workshop on Pharmaceuticals in the Environment: Risks in low and middle income countries (Nairobi, Kenya) - David Graham |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
Results and Impact | This was a think tank organised by AstraZeneca to discuss the impact of pharmaceutical pollutants in the environment in developing countries. It included experts from around the world, but also included representatives from NGOs, government agencies. The product of the workshop is a call for action, which is aimed at industry and governments around the world. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
Description | Workshop on the use of molecular biological methods for environmental research - David Graham |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | This workshop was for researchers and professional practitioners in Malaysia and Singapore. It taught how to collect environmental samples for molecular analysis, extract and purify DNA, quantify DNA signatures and then interpret data. The methods are now being using used by colleagues in Malaysia and Singapore. The course was taught by our group, but primarily by senior PhD students and junior PDRAs, both of which gained valuable experience from designing and delivering the course. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |