Bacterial Responses to Antibiotics in the Upper Susquehanna River

1. Bacterial Responses to Antibiotics in the Upper Susquehanna River What we did with your money during our summer vacation . . . Mary E. Allen Hartwick College, Oneonta, NY

2. Antibiotics • chemicals that kill or inhibit the growth of bacteria • Contributed to the decrease indeath rate from infectious diseases during the 20th century

3. Antibiotic discovery . . . and resistance proceeded rapidly • 1908: first synthetic antibiotic1940: first natural antibiotic • 1952 : Selman Waksman won the Nobel Prize in Medicine for discovery of streptomycin and coined the term “antibiotic” • 1947- the first antibiotic resistant bacterium detected http://z.about.com/d/chemistry/ 1/0/1/z/Selman_Waksman.jpg

4. Number of antibiotic resistant bacteria has increased steadily

5. Antibiotic resistant bacteria are not a problem only in the hospital http://www.scq.ubc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2006/08/antibispread.jpg

6. Antibiotic resistant bacteria in the upper Susquehanna River . . .

7. Fecal Coliforms • Bacteria that normally the intestines of many animals, including humans, other mammals & birds http://www.marvistavet.com/assets/images/ Pseudomonas_aeruginosa_Gram.gif

8. Research Questions • Are there differences in the proportions of fecal coliform bacteria resistant to antibiotics at varying sites along the river? • Will proportions of fecal coliform bacteria resistant to antibiotics change seasonally - spring through fall? • Are there relationships between abiotic factors and proportions of antibiotic resistant bacteria found in the river?

9. Susquehanna River Basin Commission Phoenix Mills Wastewater Treatment Facility Sites (3)

10. Collecting Water Samples • April 22 • May 20 • June 8 • July 6 • August 3 • September 2 • September 24

11. Collecting bacteria

12. Antibiotic Susceptibility Testing • Ampicillin • 10, 30 and 50 ug/ml • Chloramphenicol • 10, 30 and 50 ug/ml • Tetracycline • 10, 30 and 50 ug/ml • Streptomycin • 20, 30 and 50 ug/ml • Nalidixic acid • 10, 30 and 50 ug/ml • April 22 • May 20 • June 8 • July 6 • August 3 • September 2 • September 24

13. Site p<.001 Site * antibiotic p<.001 * * data only for 9/2/09

14. Conclusions • There is a pool of antibiotic resistant bacteria present at different locations along the river. • Higher proportions are present at outflow point of the Oneonta wastewater treatment facility but this seems to dissipate shortly downstream. • Recommendations • Sample at the wastewater treatment facility following high rainfall events and throughout the winter to see if trend remains. • Investigate other possible point sources along the river

15. Date p<.001 Date * antibiotic p<.001 * * data only for 9/2/09

16. Conclusions • There is a pool of antibiotic resistant bacteria present throughout much (maybe all?) of the summer. • Combination of water chemistry data with ours suggests that surface runoff may be an important source of antibiotic resistant bacteria in the river. • Recommendations • Collect additional data from tributaries and surface runoff.

17. Some bacteria prevent antibiotics from damaging the cell http://www.textbookofbacteriology.net/ResistanceMechanisms.gif

18. Other bacteria eat antibiotics! • Many of these bacteria are also resistant to high concentrations of antibiotic from Dantas, G. et al. Science 320, 100 (2008)

19. Suggest an undiscovered pool of antibiotic resistance genes in the environment • Useful for removing antibiotic pollution in the environment.

20. Source of new antibiotic resistant human pathogens.

21. A few of the “bugs” we have isolated from the Susquehanna River that can “eat” antibiotics.

22. Hartwick Board of Trustees - Hartwick College Faculty Research Grant • Otsego County Conservation Association • Judy and Allen Freedman • Andrea Jones • Olivia Rule • Jaime Rodriguez • Katie Faria • Will Egan • Emaly Leak • Dr. Zsuzsanna Balogh-Brunstad • Brian Terbush • Andrew Parisi • Kyle Armstrong Thanks go to. . .