Location: Food Safety and Enteric Pathogens Research
Project Number: 5030-31320-004-025-R
Project Type: Reimbursable Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Feb 15, 2018
End Date: Feb 13, 2021
Objective:
Our goal is to detect and differentiate antibiotic resistance genes and mobile elements that are indicative of transmission from animal agricultural processes.
Approach:
Mobile elements and resistance genes that are associated with an agriculturally impacted watershed in Blackhawk County, Iowa will be defined by using a controlled, model experiment (soil columns brought from the site into the lab). The hypothesis will be tested in the field by collecting environmental data and samples downstream and upstream from manure- applied fields associated with combined animal feeding operations at our experimental watershed in Blackhawk County. Differences between surface and subsurface water flows in antibiotic resistance gene transmission from manure-applied soils will be evaluated. Molecular techniques, including DNA isolation, sequencing and PCR, will be employed for the detection and characterization of the bacterial and antibiotic resistance gene diversity in the samples from the Blackhawk site.
