SP 7: Integrated modelling of the selection of resistant bacteria and horizontal transfer of resistance genes caused by exposure to antibiotics and disinfectants
Background
Previously accumulated contaminants may be mobilized during transition from untreated to treated wastewater irrigation systems, potentially generating concentrations that co-select for antimicrobial resistance. Through process-based computational approaches, various scenarios are analysed to simulate environmental conditions' effects on antibiotic fate and antimicrobial resistance development, with data from other subprojects enabling model parameterization and validation.
Hypotheses
We hypothesize that
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Transitioning from untreated to treated wastewater mobilizes previously accumulated pollutants, driving antimicrobial resistance in irrigated soils.
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Soil properties, pollutant characteristics govern pollutant mobilization, influencing antibiotic resistance selection and transfer.
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An integrative, process-based model combining pollutant dynamics, bacterial population shifts, and gene transfer can predict antibiotic resistance under diverse conditions.
Methods
Development of a process-based model for pharmaceuticals in soils, capturing key pathways (sorption, diffusion, transformation, mineralization). Soils are represented as uniform particles divided into shells, with kinetic parameters fitted to time-series extraction data.
Simulation of competition of susceptible and resistant bacteria under varying antibiotic concentrations based on a system of ordinary differential equations.
Image analysis of results from laboratory bacterial competition experiments (SP 3)
Local and global sensitivity analyses to highlight key parameters and processes
Simulations of scenarios to explore various environmental and emission factors influencing pollutant dynamics or the development of antimicrobial resistance.
Team
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Matthias Boeckmann (Doctoral candidate) |
Christiane Zarfl (PI) |