Mapping antibiotic resistance across the globe
Resistomap provides an end-to-end laboratory and analysis service to monitor the emerging micropollutants of antibiotic resistance from environmental samples. Resistomap combines deep capabilities in molecular genetics and data science with high-throughput real-time PCR (qPCR) technology for a fast and comprehensive monitoring of antibiotic resistance and pathogens in any environment including rivers and lakes, sediment, seawater, wastewater, and sludge samples. As of 2019, Resistomap has served over 170 projects, and analyzed over 5000 environmental samples across 38 countries. From our headquarters in Helsinki, Resistomap’s mission is to map environmental resistomes across the globe for understanding the development and spread of antibiotic resistance and pathogens in the environment.
ResistApp – Digital platform for wastewater-based monitoring of antibiotic resistance
The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) identified antibiotic resistance in the environment as one of its top six emerging issues of environmental concern with global implications in its Frontiers 2017 report. One cornerstone of the global strategy against antibiotic resistance is to monitor the levels of antibiotic resistance in hotspots where resistance is developing and spreading. With monitoring data, scientists and decision makers can better understand antibiotic resistance and so develop effective strategies to mitigate the spread. It can provide early warnings of emerging threats and help identify long-term trends. However, there is currently no antibiotic resistance monitoring system that could identify emerging threats and long-term trends. Resistomap is addressing this issue by developing ResistApp, a digital platform for routine antibiotic resistance monitoring in wastewater.
ResisApp utilizes a state-of-the-art technique, SmartChip qPCR, for the high-throughput detection and quantification of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in wastewater. This technique enables 10x cheaper and 50x more throughput than standard gene quantification method, faster results. ResistApp offers the SmartChip qPCR technology as a standardized service and collects all the resulting data into an open database of antibiotic resistance gene spread. ResistApp is unique as it combines and standardizes cutting edge microbiological technology with the best visualization techniques to make the spread of antibiotic resistance understandable and preventable.
Through ResistApp, users can see the number of detected ARGs in each sample over time, the relative abundance of detected genes, and a heatmap that shows the resistance gene profiles. This allows users to have in-depth information on the levels of antibiotic resistance from their samples, and to compare the levels of resistance between samples and over time. ResistApp also provides a global map of antibiotic resistance in wastewater.
Read more about Resistomap.