Project description:Study generating and describing the faecal metagenomes of 194 persons occupationally exposed to antimicrobial resistance in livestock (including 46 control subjects).
Highlights:
- DNA of faecal samples of 194 persons occupationally exposed to antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in livestock, i.e. persons living or working on pig and poultry farms and pig slaughterhouse workers and control subjects, was sequenced and metagenomically analysed.
- The faecal resistomes and microbiomes of farmers and slaughterhouse workers were described and compared between occupationally exposed groups and controls.
- We found an increased ARG carriage in persons working in the Dutch pork production chain as compared to poultry farmers and controls.
- Significant differences were found in the resistome and bacteriome composition of pig and pork exposed workers compared to a control group, as well as within-population (farms, slaughterhouse) compositional differences.
- On-farm working hours and working or living on a pig farm (versus poultry farm) are determinants for the human faecal resistome.
- Direct or indirect contact with AMR in livestock may be a determinant for human ARG carriage.
Project description:Aspergillus niger is an opportunistic pathogen commonly found in a variety of indoor and out-door environments. Environmental isolates of A. niger taken from a pig farm were resistant to itraconazole and in-depth investigations were conducted to better understand cellular re-sponses during growth when exposed to an antifungal. Using a combination of cultivation techniques, antibiotic stress-testing, and label-free pro-teomics, this study has investigated the physiological and metabolic responses of A. niger to differing levels of antifungal stress.
