Summary
This project aims to operationalize wastewater-based surveillance for multidrug-resistant organisms (MDRO) by understanding their dynamics in wastewater, correlating wastewater data with clinical MDRO, and developing improved epidemiological modeling approaches.
What they want
The project involves three main aims: 1) Designing wastewater MDRO model systems using plug-flow reactors to test the effects of flow parameters (hydraulic retention time, pH, temperature) and antibiotic pressure on MDRO and antibiotic resistance gene (ARG) prevalence and diversity. 2) Correlating MDRO in wastewater with clinical MDRO and existing patient surveillance cohorts through longitudinal wastewater sampling at a major hospital center and surrounding community, using chromatin-linked metagenomics and long-read sequencing to elucidate phylogenetic links. 3) Interrogating different approaches to wastewater-based epidemiological modeling (linear, nonlinear additive regression, dynamic mathematical modeling) to estimate MDRO burden, incorporating wastewater flow parameters, community sociodemographics, and molecular biomarker data as normalization factors, and applying risk assessment techniques to inform public health decision-making tools.
Deliverables
- Wastewater MDRO model systems (plug-flow reactors)
- Data on dynamics of MDRO and ARG genotypes under various flow parameters and antibiotic pressure
- Correlations between MDRO in wastewater and clinical MDRO
- Phylogenetic links between MDRO in hospital/community wastewater and infectious patient isolates
- Evaluated epidemiological modeling approaches (linear, nonlinear additive regression, dynamic mathematical models)
- Risk assessment techniques applied to wastewater models
- Public health decision making tools
Technical requirements
- Plug-flow reactors
- Chromatin-linked metagenomics
- Long-read sequencing
- Linear and nonlinear additive regression models
- Dynamic mathematical modeling approaches
