Nina Parvari / Biology / Faculty Mentor: Whitney Tholen
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a problem presenting serious challenges to human health such as uncontrolled infectious states. Causes of antimicrobial resistance have been studied and include misuse and overuse of antibiotics in health and agricultural settings. This study was conducted to better understand correlates of antimicrobial resistance within human health settings such as hospitals. The effect of population and proximity to hospitals on AMR were examined, as well as the propensity of lactose fermenting bacteria to develop resistance. Culture based methods using soil samples were utilized on MacConkey agar, a medium used to isolate gram-negative bacteria and test for lactose fermentation. Cultures sampled near health care settings in medium to large cities showed significantly higher frequencies of resistance to tetracycline, with almost all of the resistant species testing positive for lactose fermentation. These results implicate potential roles of urbanization as well as mechanisms of lactose fermenting bacteria in the emergence of antimicrobial resistant species. Increased understanding of AMR will aid the development of more effective protocols to address this issue and curb its proliferation. Better understanding of resistance mechanisms are also valuable for new target treatments to combat this problem.
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