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Project

Establishing a monitoring baseline for antibiotic resistance in human, animal and natural environments
 

Project ID
109304
Total Funding
CAD 471,500.00
IDRC Officer
Najete Safini
Project Status
Active
Duration
36 months

Programs and partnerships

Lead institution(s)

Project leader:
Rabaab Zahra
Pakistan

Summary

There is growing recognition that more research is necessary to understand the role of human-made and natural environments in the global emergence and spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR).Read more

There is growing recognition that more research is necessary to understand the role of human-made and natural environments in the global emergence and spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). There are few tools to understand where and how AMR can emerge from environments such as bodies of water, sewage, or environments affected by industrial pollution. Although there have been some studies in select environments, the research lacks comparability because of the absence of standardized detection and analytical tools. Moreover, there is little understanding of the genetic mechanisms that drive AMR in environmental settings.

This project will develop innovative and standardized tools to detect AMR in natural and human-made environments. This includes using metagenomics to identify target genes that can be prioritized for surveillance, and designing an AMR monitoring framework that can be implemented and adapted to various settings in low and middle-income countries. This research will generate important knowledge that can help to limit the emergence and spread of AMR, particularly from environments where little is currently known.

This is one of five IDRC-funded projects developed through the Joint Programming Initiative on Antimicrobial Resistance (JPIAMR), an international platform that coordinates global funding to support collaborative research and action on antimicrobial resistance. Through the JPIAMR, IDRC has partnered with 18 other donor agencies to fund innovative research projects on diagnostics and surveillance strategies, tools, and technologies that can be used to detect and monitor antimicrobial resistance in human, animal, and environmental settings, particularly in low and middle-income countries.