Municipal wastewater contains the collective microbiome of the community and thus represents a unique platform for monitoring microbial infectious diseases in the community. Previously we have demonstrated the potential of using municipal wastewater for determining the genetic diversity of enteropathogenic E. coli, for establishing real-time correspondence between Salmonella in wastewater and health clinics, and even for detecting clinically-missed salmonellosis outbreak. Here we report results that support the feasibility of using municipal wastewater to monitor antimicrobial resistance at the community level. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) was conducted on wastewater Salmonella isolates to specifically extract ARG information in this group of fecal pathogens. Illumina sequencing has been conducted on 125 Salmonella isolates that were previously collected form wastewater in Honolulu over a 54-week period. The wastewater Salmonella isolates cover 23 different serotypes, including some of the most common ones in health clinics, such as Enteritidis and Typhimurium. The WGS sequence data are being analyzed against the CARD database to detect known ARGs, and the ARG profiles detected will be compared with ARGs detected in clinical Salmonella isolates and in other fecal bacteria pathogens. Technical difficulties in using wastewater for monitoring clinical ARGs and potential solutions will also be discussed.

Using municipal wastewater to monitor community microbial infectious diseases: Antimicrobial resistance in Salmonella

2019 Fall National Meeting

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