New Delhi, June 28 (IANS) A portable DNA sequencing device may be a key genomic surveillance tool for detecting hotspots of antibiotic resistance in animals, and the environment, according to a new study.

In the pilot project, researchers from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN, Indonesia’s Ministry of Agriculture, and Arizona State University (ASU) in the US tested the handheld DNA sequencing device to check antibiotic resistance across six chicken slaughterhouses.

The global team collected samples from both wastewater and surrounding rivers in Indonesia’s Greater Jakarta area.

The study found signs that drug-resistant E. coli bacteria — a key indicator of antibiotic resistance — from slaughterhouse wastewater may be reaching nearby rivers.

In many cases, downstream sites had higher levels of resistant E. coli than upstream, pointing to a possible route for resistance to spread from animal waste into the environment.

The researchers found that portable DNA sequencing can strengthen national surveillance efforts by making it easier to detect antibiotic resistance hotspots.

This will pave the way for more targeted, cost-effective solutions to reduce the spread of resistant E. coli strains, which can cause a range of illnesses, including diarrhoea, especially in children, older adults, and immunocompromised individuals, the researchers said.

“In certain settings, diarrhoea isn’t just uncomfortable — it’s life-threatening,” said Lee Voth-Gaeddert, a researcher with the ASU Biodesign Center for Health Through Microbiomes.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a critical global health issue, posing significant risks to human and animal health.

In 2021, AMR was associated with 4.71 million deaths, including 1.14 million directly attributable to AMR. By 2050, AMR is projected to cause 8.22 million deaths annually, with 1.91 million directly attributable.

Fast, affordable, and locally accessible tools like the portable DNA sequencing device may significantly advance efforts to track and control a broad range of microbial threats.

The mobile sequencing approach could also be expanded to farms and wet markets, or adapted to track other pathogens such as bird flu, noted the team in the research appearing in the journal Antibiotics.

–IANS

rvt/