A world-first study being led by the University of Canterbury could help reduce the risk of one of the biggest threats facing humanity today – antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
The project, led by Professor Jack Heinemann from Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha | University of Canterbury’s (UC) School of Biological Sciences, will map reservoirs of AMR across New Zealand to pinpoint areas of resistance, making it the first nation in the world to know where its hot spots are located.
AMR occurs when bacteria and fungi evolve to withstand antibiotics, Professor Heinemann says. Over the last 100 years, antibiotic-resistant microorganisms have spread across the land, air and water in far greater numbers as the world’s population, antibiotic use, and industrial pollution has grown.
“The bacteria are now found everywhere, including places far removed from human activity like Antarctica and the bottom of the ocean,” he says.
“So much of our existence is dependent on antibiotics because they’re used to control infectious diseases as they arise, and to grow crops and livestock to the levels we need to produce food for so many people. It’s reached a point where it is now an existential threat to our way of life and even to our species.”
The project will use a One Health approach, which recognises the connection between human, animal and environmental health, and build a 3D map of New Zealand’s land, water and air. Once areas with high levels of AMR are identified, different ways to reduce or contain the spread can be implemented.
“Our research will tackle environmental AMR which people haven’t been able to do until now because of the scale. The innovation we are testing will tell us where the bacteria are most concentrated, so that we can look at how they got there, for example from dumped sewage waste, and then determine if AMR can be eliminated or contained where it is,” he said.
A small team of about six full-time staff, including two Māori researchers, three postdoctoral students and a graduate, will work alongside a network of volunteers and other organisations across the country that trap and kill pest animals, to collect samples for testing.
Bioinformaticians will develop algorithms, assisted by machine learning, to see potential concerns emerge in real time.
If successfully funded, the five-year project would cost less than $10 million, with research starting before the end of 2025, the University says.
“Even a small growth in the proportion of bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics can cost the global health care system tens to hundreds of billions of dollars,” said Professor Heinemann.
“In New Zealand, AMR is growing. We’ve had times where hospital wards have been closed because of superbugs, which are resistant to antimicrobials. We’re also frequently getting resistance in our agricultural areas.”
Depending on the outcome of the research, the system could be adopted and used by governments, private businesses, and communities across the globe, he said.
