Lead institution:
Department of Biotechnology and Food Science, NTNU-Norwegian University of Science and Technology – Norway
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and marine plastic pollution are major global health and environmental concerns. Despite this, there is limited knowledge concerning the occurrence of pathogens and antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARB) in wastewater (WW) effluents from urban areas and in the marine coastal environments into which they are discharged. Furthermore, the potential role of plastics as a vector for the transmission of pathogens, ARB and antibiotic resistant genes (ARG) throughout the marine environment is poorly understood.
The Decade Action PlastiSpread will provide new knowledge about the microbial community in biofilms associated with marine plastics, and how they are influenced by variations in urban WW discharges. Such findings will help evaluate the potential role of plastic litter to act as a reservoir and vector for the development and spread of AMR and pathogenic bacteria in marine environments and, more widely, into the human food chain.
Start Date: 15/07/2023
End Date: 14/07/2027
Lead Contact: Anita Nordeng Jakobsen (anita.n.jakobsen@ntnu.no)