Örebro Studies in Life Science 16 I ÖREBRO 2020
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faisal ahmad khan received his Bachelor of Science degree in Microbiology from Hazara University, Pakistan in 2010. He completed his Master of Science in Biology with a specialization in Molecular Medical Biology in 2012 from Örebro University, Sweden. He has worked as Visiting Researcher at Life Science Center at Örebro University in 2014. He has been a doctoral student at Örebro University since 2015. In 2018, he was awarded a Licentiate degree in Biology.
Treatment of severe infections in critically ill patients is becoming a major challenge due to the omnipresence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) Gram-negative bacteria. Carbapenem antibiotics have now been considered as one of the few safer options for the treatment of infections caused by MDR bacteria. However, the global emergence of carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (CPE) in recent years seriously threatens the efficacy of carbapenem antibiotics. The World Health Organization (WHO) has listed carbapenem-resistant
Entero-bacteriaceae in the “priority 1” group for which discovery and development of
new antibiotics are critically required. The environments such as urban rivers and lakes are exposed to the pathogens, antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and other contaminants of human origin and can play a significant role in further spread of antibiotic resistance. This study characterized the CPE and ARGs present in the wastewaters and associated river and lake waters in Örebro, Sweden. The study revealed that some CPE are persistent in these environments and can potentially be widespread in the community. The study also showed that long-term exposure to river water impacted by a complex mixture of anthropogenic contaminants and increased environmental temperature may induce genetic changes in the environmental microbiome, generating novel resistant variants at accelerated rates that may pose a significant threat to human health. issn 1653-3100 isbn 978-91-7529-334-9
