ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE AND THE STRESS OF CLIMATE CHANGE-DRIVEN COASTAL FLOODING ON WASTEWATER SYSTEMS

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is an intensifying public health concern demanding a One Health research approach, considering zoonotic reservoirs and bacterial pathogenesis. Our research indicates that coastal municipalities with wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are likely discharging antimicrobial-resistant bacteria (ARB) and genes (ARGs) into estuaries, threatening recreational and fisheries services. NC WWTPs are overburdened by aging infrastructure, tourism, and development, leading to increased fecal contamination in estuaries, exacerbated by climate change. By leveraging an active NC wastewater surveillance program, we have optimized methods to test for clinically relevant ARGs in influent, effluent, and environmental water samples. To further our understanding of AMR risks, influent samples are collected weekly from five coastal, rural WWTPs serving 600-8,000 people. Additionally, differences in ARG/ARB trends are being characterized by a longitudinal influent-effluent study, comparing microbial communities across the disinfection process using weekly and adaptive collection under varying conditions (storms, floods, King Tides), resulting in 30 distinct events and over 180 samples. Metagenomic sequencing is also being used to identify AMR groups for the development of a ddPCR panel. This assessment of WWTPs under various climate change-driven conditions will be a key step in understanding current and future AMR risks.

Presentation Preference: Oral

Primary Presenter: Emma Dempsey, UNC Chapel Hill (edemps@ad.unc.edu)

Authors:

Emma Dempsey, UNC Chapel Hill  (edemps@ad.unc.edu)

Rachel Noble, UNC Chapel Hill  (rtnoble@email.unc.edu)

Steph Smith, UNC Chapel Hill  (steph.smith@unc.edu)

Thomas Clerkin, UNC Chapel Hill  (tclerkin@live.unc.edu)