Uncovering antibiotic resistance genes in soil, sediment, and sludge

A significant amount of research have focused on studying antibiotic resistance in soil, sediment, and sludge samples using the SmartChip Real-Time PCR System. These samples were obtained from a variety of different locales. In some cases, the soil samples were collected from crops and areas that received significant organic fertilization. Other samples were collected from per-urban runoff, where improperly treated wastewater contaminates the ground. Exciting findings have linked metal pollution in soil and antibiotic-resistant bacteria. In all of the studies, the SmartChip system was utilized to monitor large panels of antibiotic resistance genes from the soil samples.

One recent publication sought to understand drivers of antibiotic resistance genes in High Arctic soil (McCann et al. 2019). By isolating soil from eight different relatively remote polar sites, the researchers sought to establish a benchmark for background antibiotic resistance that could be used to track the spread in other environments. By utilizing a 296-primer set panel of antibiotic resistance genes using the SmartChip system, they identified over 131 antibiotic resistance genes, with an average of 66 per sample. In addition, they identified 39 unique antibiotic resistance genes in all the samples, likely representing indigenous antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The other, non-conserved antibiotic resistance genes are likely contaminants from human or animal sources.

Citations

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