Investigating the Role of Bioaerosols in Antimicrobial Resistance Transmission in Environmental Settings

NISHTHA CHAUHAN, Jillian Goodrich, Joe Brown, Freddy Soria, Olivia Ginn, University of Georgia

     Abstract Number: 376
     Working Group: Bioaerosols

Abstract
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is an escalating global health threat, driven by the persistence and dissemination of resistant microbial agents in various environmental reservoirs. Bioaerosols, microscopic airborne particles, serve as potential hotspots for AMR, facilitating the transmission of resistant genes across ecosystems and posing significant risks to human and environmental health. Our research spans diverse environmental settings, including field studies conducted in Bolivia, to assess microbial risks associated with AMR in both urban and rural contexts, considering the influence of geographical and socioeconomic factors. This study employs metagenomic analysis to investigate the presence, distribution, and diversity of AMR genes in airborne environments surrounding open wastewater canals and other sources of fecal contamination, characterising microbial communities and their resistance profiles across different environments. We collected both presumptive source media and aerosol samples and will compare the resistance profiles between paired samples using Nanopore short-read shotgun sequencing. Samples have been collected and extracted, while metagenomic analysis is ongoing. The analysis will explore the potential of bioaerosols as vectors for the transmission of resistant pathogens and assess how aerosolisation influences microbial kinetics related to resistance expressions. This study contributes to the global effort to monitor environmental reservoirs of infectious diseases and AMR, bridging gaps in current detection methodologies, risk assessments, and intervention approaches.