Water Resources Research Act Program

Details for Project ID VA 2023 BSE

An investigation of septic sludge resistomes to inform public health and wastewater surveillance of antimicrobial resistance

Institute: Virginia
Year Established: 2023 Start Date: 2023-09-01 End Date: 2024-08-31
Total Federal Funds: $19,762 Total Non-Federal Funds: $19,762

Principal Investigators: Leigh-Anne Krometis

Project Summary: Antibiotic resistant bacteria are increasingly found in wastewater treatment plants and in natural water bodies that receive treated wastewater suggesting increased risk for human health. Monitoring practices of wastewater changed rapidly during the SARs-CoV-2 global pandemic, which holds promise for tracking and informing community-level health data. However, little information is available about antibiotic resistance in rural areas, and if septic systems act as a potential source of antibiotic resistance to waterways in these areas. This study will compare waste from septic systems that is collected and transported to a local wastewater treatment facility with conventional wastewater processed at the treatment facility to evaluate the potential for integrating rural and urban wastewater surveillance of antibiotic resistance.