Antimicrobial Resistance and Water Quality

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and water quality are closely related. Antibiotic resistant pathogens enter water via the feces of infected humans and animals. AMR pathogens are found in streams, rivers, lakes, and oceans. Sources of these pathogens are wastewaters, healthcare facility effluent and sewerage, food crop irrigation water and other agricultural waters, and poultry and livestock production waters. Even properly functioning wastewater treatment systems might not fully remove AMR pathogens.

Environmental Surveillance of AMR Bacteria

When AMR bacteria enter wastewater through plumbing, the effect can be seen throughout the environment. However, antibiotics are not just flowing into water through wastewater systems, but also through discharge from pharmaceutical companies, healthcare facilities, and even human waste. This discharge can put pressure on bacteria living in water, allowing them to develop resistance.

The World Health Organization (WHO) Global Tricycle Surveillance Program encompasses the cross-sector One Health approach to contain this problem, namely by monitoring AMR ESBL E. coli bacteria across the human, animal and environmental sectors

ESBL E. coli are considered critical priority pathogens by the WHO. WHO encourages countries and other stakeholders to monitor ESBL E. coli in environmental water samples by using a culture based monitoring method (see page 31).

Even though the environment is integral to the One Health approach, its role has been overlooked in surveillance of AMR pathogens, including water surveillance.

Aquagenx AMR ESBL E. coli Kits

The Aquagenx AMR E. coli Test Kits are culture based tests that quantify ESBL E. coli in 100mL water samples. We provide two versions of these kits: one generates Most Probable Number (MPN) test results, and the other generates Colony Forming Units (CFU) test results.

No electricity, lab, cold chain or complicated equipment required
Easy to use for field level testing in low resource, rural, remote areas
Ambient temperature incubation at 25° Celsius and above
Works at variable temperatures, constant temperature control not required
Ambient temperature test results in 20-48 hours
Color change test results easy to interpret
Compact and lightweight, small number of consumables
Test wastewaters by diluting samples:
- CBT MPN method dilutions
- GEL CFU method dilutions

AMR EC Test Kits

GEL AMR E. coli CFU Kit 50-Pack

Published Papers on Our AMR EC Test Kits

Two papers were recently published about projects by independent teams/labs using Aquagenx AMR EC Test Kits. The papers demonstrate excellent usability in the field and correlation to standard culture based methods in the WHO Tricycle Protocol.

Comparison of the Extended-Spectrum Beta-Lactamase (ESBL) E. coli Compartment Bag Test Method to the World Health Organization Tricycle Protocol in North Carolina Surface Waters (Journal of Environmental Health)

Lack of wastewater treatment in a small town drives the spread of ESBL-producing Escherichia coli in irrigation waters (Journal of Environmental Quality)