Antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARB) and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) can potentially spread through the drinking water system, from source to drinking water treatment plants and even to the tap. The presence of ARB and ARGs through this route could cause health risks to human. Continuous exposure to high levels of antibiotics is suggested to be the main reason leading to build up of antibiotic resistance. To date, there are still in consistent findings on the widespread of antibiotic resistance and trace antibiotic concentrations in the drinking water system. Controlling ARB/ARGs has shown to be highly complex. Even when the bacteria carrying ARGs have been inactivated, DNA released from the cell may persist in certain environment compositions. These free DNA may be captured by other bacteria, resulting in the persistence of antibiotic resistance. It is thus of great importance for the water industry to understand the presence of ARB/ARGs in drinking water and control them with effective measures.
This ongoing research aims to conduct a comprehensive assessment of ARB/ARGs occurrence, reveal their development/dissemination/persistence mechanisms, and develop a novel treatment strategy for ARB/ARGs control in the drinking water system. The disinfection with advanced ultraviolet (UV) technology is a potential control technology providing fast and effective inactivation of ARB and degradation of ARGs.
Figure 1. Inoculation of antibiotic resistant bacteria.
Figure 2. Determining the minimal inhibitory concentration of antibiotics.
Figure 3. Quantification of antibiotic resistant genes by qPCR.
Figure 4. UV disinfection of antibiotic resistant bacteria in water samples.
Figure 5. The lab-scale drinking water treatment unit used in the study.
For more details, please contact:
Prof Hu Jiangyong
Email: ceehujy@nus.edu.sg
