Tackling antimicrobial resistance

Researchers from Newcastle University, and colleagues from Spain, Canada and Egypt, have successfully trialed two new qPCR assays to help detect the presence of transmissible AMR using water and wastewater samples. Publishing their results in the journal Water Research, the scientists present a DNA-based testing method that provides a surrogate for monitoring AMR, which will make AMR screening cheaper and more accessible around the world.

The study presents a method, which is similar to methods used on wastewater samples to detect SARS-CoV-2, that differentiates between bacteria who are carrying AMR genes versus no AMR genes. There is currently no simple “silver bullet” assay for triaging AMR based on DNA from wastewater—this new assay may provide this role. It can be used for rapid screening of transmissible AMR to identify locations where more expensive analysis can be justified.