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Collaborators: Joakim Larsson ( SA) & Hans Blanck (DPES )

Antibiotic resistance in marine bacteria: The role of biocides and metals in the marine environment for promoting and maintaining antibiotic resistance. Collaborators: Joakim Larsson ( SA) & Hans Blanck (DPES ) PhD Students: Chandan Pal ( SA ) & Triranta Sircir (DPES) . Antibiotics

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Collaborators: Joakim Larsson ( SA) & Hans Blanck (DPES )

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  1. Antibiotic resistance in marine bacteria:The role of biocides and metals in the marine environment for promoting andmaintaining antibiotic resistance Collaborators:Joakim Larsson (SA) & Hans Blanck (DPES) PhD Students: ChandanPal (SA) & TrirantaSircir (DPES)

  2. Antibiotics Biocide Antibiotic resistance Resistance genes Co- and Cross resistance Horizontal gene transfer (acquiring new genes) Vertical gene transfer (mutating existing genes) Plasmid Biofilm PICT (Ecological methodology for detecting causal links between toxicants and microbial communities) Metagenomics

  3. Why is resistance a concern? Schmieder & Edwards 2012

  4. Spreading Resistance genes Schmieder & Edwards 2012

  5. Main research questions Investigating co-selection for antibiotic resistance genes • What antibiotic resistance genes are present in marine environments? • Does exposure to biocides and metals select for resistance to antibiotics in marine bacterial communities? • What is the genetic basis behind such co- or cross-resistance in marine bacteria? • Are antibiotic resistance genes hitchhiking around the globe on ship hulls under the selection pressure from antifouling paints?

  6. Why Interdisciplinary work? Overcoming limitations and using the expertise • Chemical and ecotoxicological analysis by Blanck’slab (PICT) • Metagenome Sequencing (Sahlgrenska Academy/ SciLife Stockholm/BGI, Copenhagen) • Microbiological, Molecular-biological and Bioinformatics analysis by Larsson’s lab

  7. Project plan • Sample collection from ship hulls from harbours around Gothenburg. • Screen microbial communities from marine aquaculture facilities, major sewage outlets, marinas and harbours, coastal environments polluted by industrial or agricultural activities from different continents. • Controlled lab experiments (PICT) on marine biofilms when exposed to biocides and metals. • Metagenomics approaches (Illumina NGS)

  8. Challenges of Metagenomics approaches • Large number of sequencing data, data storage, processing, lack of supercomputing resources • Functional confirmation of resistance genes (transcriptometagenomics) • Assessing the ability of spreading resistance genes from marine microbes to human pathogen: Green Fluorescent protein (GFP) - Spiking marine biofilms with antibiotic-sensitive bacteria tagged with GFP

  9. Impact of our research collaboration Potential of marine pollution and current shipping practice on human health On global antifouling regulations and practices On Pharmaceutical industry, health sector On regulatory agencies involved in chemical pollution (e.g. EPA, Swedish chemical agency)

  10. Acknowledgements Joakim Larsson (Sahlgrenska Academy) and Hans Blanck (Dept. of Plant and Environmental sciences) Gothenburg Centre for Marine Research The Swedish Research Council FORMAS

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