Co-selection of antibiotic resistance in Gram-negative bacteria caused by pollution legacy in the Clyde estuary

Tonner, Rebecca Lee and Peshkur, Tatyana and Williams, Roderick and McLellan, Ian and Hursthouse, Andrew and Henriquez, Fiona and Knapp, Charles (2018) Co-selection of antibiotic resistance in Gram-negative bacteria caused by pollution legacy in the Clyde estuary. In: Strathwide 2018, 2018-06-06 - 2018-06-06, University of Strathclyde. (Unpublished)

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Abstract

Recent evidence indicate that numbers of antibiotic resistant bacteria within contaminated landscapes are significantly higher than that of uncontaminated land. The legacy of pollution and the inability to remove pollution by-products such as heavy metals can cause co-selection for antibiotic resistant genes within bacterial species. Three sites with different pollution levels were chosen to compare the levels of antibiotic/heavy metal resistance genes: Clydebank, Dumbarton West and Cardross. Using sediment cores, we were able to get a historical representation of pollution and resistant bacteria levels from the past to the present