Water Resources Research Act Program

Details for Project ID 2010NE207B

Mitigate and Treat Antibiotic Residues and Antibiotic Resistance Genes in Soil and Water

Institute: Nebraska
Year Established: 2010 Start Date: 2010-03-01 End Date: 2011-02-28
Total Federal Funds: $20,000 Total Non-Federal Funds: $40,107

Principal Investigators: Xu Li, Daniel Snow

Abstract: Antibiotic residues and antibiotic resistant bacteria from untreated animal wastes can lead to the proliferation of antibiotic resistance in the environment. Preliminary studies detected antibiotic (AB) residues and antibiotic resistance (ABR) genes in the soil and water environments that were under the influence of livestock operations, suggesting that these contaminants can be potential threats to drinking water sources. However, little is known about what environmental factors determine the fate and transport of these contaminants in soil or water, which impedes the development of practical solutions to mitigate the contaminants in the environment and treat them in drinking water. Therefore, in the proposed project, the following objectives will be achieved: 1) measure various AB residues and ABR genes in various agricultural wastewater environments and determine the environmental factors that govern the fate and transport of these contaminants; 2) quantify the effects of ultraviolet (UV) radiation and oxygen levels on the fate of AB residues and ABR genes in animal waste lagoons; and 3) investigate the fate of AB residues and ABR genes during disinfection using chlorine, and quantify the potential of the disinfected water in proliferating antibiotic resistance. A successful completion of the research objectives will contribute to the development of new management practices to minimize the impacts of AB residues and ABR bacteria on water sources during animal waste handling and lead to the design of drinking water treatment processes to eliminate the potential impacts of these contaminants to human health.