The Resistance is Out There. . .

Come collect some samples with us!


What's the scoop with AMR and public wastewater?


Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the most pressing global health threats of our time. It occurs when bacteria, like Escherichia coli, develop the ability to survive treatments with antibiotics that would normally kill them, making common infections harder to treat and increasing the risk of disease spread and severe illness. In areas where urban, agricultural, and industrial activities often intersect, runoff and floodwaters may serve as silent reservoirs for antibiotic-resistant bacteria. In this project, we explore the presence of AMR E. coli in water from various high-risk environments and assess the potential exposure risks to nearby human populations through antibiotic susceptibility testing.

Come along with us!



Here’s what you’ll need: 

Gloves

Sterile sample cups

Ziploc bags

Scooping pole

Cooler for samples

70% isopropyl alcohol

Permanent marker for labelling 


Location Selection: 
Five locations were chosen due to their proximity to residential, industrial, and agricultural zones.


So, how did we do it?


  1. We put on sterile gloves to ensure minimal contamination of our samples.

            

  1. We then labeled a sterile sample cup and securely fitted it into the scooping pole, ensuring the lid was removed beforehand.

  1. We lowered the scooping pole into the water source until the cup was filled to approximately 60 mL. 

  1. We then removed the sample cup from the scooping pole, replaced the cover, and stored it in a cooler at 4 degrees Celsius 

       

  1. Steps 1-4 were repeated at 4 other locations until a total of 5 samples were collected



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Join us next time as we head to the laboratory to process our samples!


What do you think will grow in our petri dishes?


Comment your guesses below!

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