Hi! I’m Abigail, a biology researcher and designer hoping to create a better world.
As a graduate of Seoul International School, I am a STEM-focused researcher and coder with a concentration on environmental issues and underserved communities.
Tell us what the water concern in your country is!People do not realize that more people die from surgical site infections than the actual disease itself. Antibiotics are useless to treat these infections due to the antibiotic-resistant bacteria like MRSA that contaminate our water sources and our bodies. This is a worldwide issue that must be solved.
This is what I think is one of the solutions for a sustainable future:My goal is to discover ways to successfully decompose residual antibiotics to prevent the creation of bacteria like MRSA. I believe that we can do this with the help of humic substances, which are proven to decompose antibiotic-resistant bacteria's DNA.
Transfer and Suppression of Antibiotic Resistance Genes in the Water Cycle
Antibiotic-resistant bacteria have proliferated due to improper antibiotic usage. Various water sources and soils are being contaminated with antibiotic-resistant bacteria due to horizontal gene transfer. When water encounters pollutants through the water cycle, water contamination can occur and spread through water circulation. The objectives of this study were to identify the effects of the water cycle on the movement of the antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and to develop potential treatments to suppress the gene transfer. The results showed that the water cycle indeed caused ARGs to transfer to nearby freshwater and soils and negatively affect the ecosystem by spreading antibiotic-resistant bacteria to water sources. Additionally, this study found that humic substances in soils near urban residential areas successfully suppressed ARGs…
