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Testing Water for Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria

By Guest PostOctober 26, 2014Scienceantibiotic resistance genes, antibiotic resistant bacteria, bacterial genes, ultraviolet light

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria are an important concern for disease prevention in the future. UA doctoral candidate Victoria Obergh is testing Tucson-area wastewater systems to find out where these bacteria can be found

In the lab, Victoria Obergh transfers bacterial DNA samples into a tray. A graduate student in the University of Arizona’s Department of Soil, Water and Environmental Science, part of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Obergh works with the samples under a sterile hood sporting an ultraviolet light to kill any unwanted DNA. (more…)

Unchecked Antibiotic Use in Animals May Affect Global Human Health

By Guest PostFebruary 20, 2013Healthabsorbed by animals, animal health, animal production, animals, antibiotic resistance genes, antibiotics in china, args, bacteria, China, china alone, chinese, commercial pig farms, consumer of antibiotics, downstream, fend off diseases, fertilizer, global human health, global risk, groundwater, impact on environment, james tiedje, largest producer, management of wastes, michigan state university, microbes carrying args, multidrug resistance, pollutants, production, rivers, unchecked antibiotic use, united states, use of antibiotics, veterinary antibiotic, world organization, yong guan zhu

The increasing production and use of antibiotics, about half of which is used in animal production, is mirrored by the growing number of antibiotic resistance genes, or ARGs, effectively reducing antibiotics’ ability to fend off diseases – in animals and humans.

A study in the current issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences shows that China – the world’s largest producer and consumer of antibiotics – and many other countries don’t monitor the powerful medicine’s usage or impact on the environment. (more…)

New Study Finds That Even the Cleanest Wastewater Contains ‘Super Bacteria’

By Guest PostNovember 27, 2011Environmentantibiotic resistance genes, antibiotic resistant bacteria, antibiotic use in agriculture, antibiotics, bacterial infections, david tan, duluth, duluth superior harbor, environmental microbiology, global ecology, industrial wastewater discharge, jessica eichmiller, lake superior, mi yan, municipal wastewater, municipal wastewater treatment facility, northeastern minnesota, patrick mcnamara, st louis river, superbacteria, surface waters, timothy lapara, treated municipal wastewater, treatment facility in duluth, tucker burch, university of minnesota

*University of Minnesota research suggests that wastewater treated with standard technologies contains far greater quantities*

MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL — A new University of Minnesota study reveals that the release of treated municipal wastewater – even wastewater treated by the highest-quality treatment technology – can have a significant effect on the quantities of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, often referred to as “superbacteria,” in surface waters.

The study also suggests that wastewater treated using standard technologies probably contains far greater quantities of antibiotic-resistant genes, but this likely goes unnoticed because background levels of bacteria are normally much higher than in the water studied in this research. (more…)

Tag Archives: antibiotic resistance genes

Testing Water for Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria

Unchecked Antibiotic Use in Animals May Affect Global Human Health

New Study Finds That Even the Cleanest Wastewater Contains ‘Super Bacteria’