Antibiotic Resistant Microorganisms and their Genetic Determinants in Recycled Water: A Systematic Review

Marisa Organiscak*, Emily Garner, Kerry Hamilton, Lucien Dieter*, Sayalee Joshi, Madison Haddix*, Carley Shingleton*, Amy Pruden, Nicholas Ashbolt, and Gertjan Medema

Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506; School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281; and The Biodesign Institute Center for Environmental He

Presentation Category: Physical Sciences & Engineering (Poster Presentation #150)

Student’s Major: Chemistry

As water stress is increasing in many parts of the U.S., the use of recycled water derived from highly treated wastewater is growing, and it is becoming increasingly important to consider all health risks that may be associated with its use. There are many types of bacteria that can be found in recycled water that can potentially cause serious health problems. Human pathogens conferring antibiotic resistance are of particular concern, given that resistance to antibiotics results in increased morbidity and mortality associated with human infections by these organisms. The objective of this research project was to conduct a systematic literature review to compile concentration and prevalence data for antibiotic resistant bacteria of relevance to human health in recycled water from past scholarly publications. For this review, a systematic keyword search strategy was used to identify candidate papers and manual review was used to assess each publication’s relevance to the project. The results of this work include extracted concentration and prevalence data for a range of antibiotic resistance genes and antibiotic resistant bacteria and have been summarized in tabular form. Preparation of a manuscript summarizing this data and its relevance to the field is ongoing. This research leverages data analysis of results from previous publications to find the ultimate impact of the use of recycled water, and the results will be used to conduct risk assessment aimed at identifying “safe” levels of these organisms in recycled water.

Funding: Water Research Foundation

Program/mechanism supporting research/creative efforts: WVU's Research Apprenticeship Program (RAP) & accompanying HONR 297-level course