International Symposium on
Environmental Dimensions of
Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) & COVID-19
for One Health in Asia 2023
Dehradun, India＊March 27-28, 2023

Program & Abstracts

Organizers:
University of Petroleum and Energy Studies (UPES), India
Kanazawa University, Japan,
Asia-Pacific Researcher Network on Environmental Dimension of Antimicrobial Resistance (ENDAMR-Asia)
Sponsors:
Kurita Water and Environment Foundation, Japan
Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), Japan
Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB), India

International Symposium on
Environmental Dimensions of Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) & COVID-19 for One Health in Asia 2023
27-28th March 2023, UPES Dehradun, India

ProgramMarch 28 (Tuesday)
09:30

Lightening the lamp

09:40

Welcome addressby Prof. Ram Sharm (VC, University of Petroleum and Energy Studies (UPES), India)

09:50

Brief introduction of the conference
by Dr. Manish Kumar (UPES, India)

09:55

Brief introduction of the END-AMR-Asia
by Dr. Ryo Honda (Kanazawa University, Japan)

10:00

Plenary talks
Fate of antimicrobial resistome in wastewater treatment plants and in an urban river in Japan
by Dr. Ryo Honda (Kanazawa University, Japan)
Conflicts and Contagion: Companions in Arms that Accelerate Antimicrobial Resistanceby Dr. Manish Kumar (UPES, India)

10:45

Vote of thanks

10:50

Tea break

11:10

Plenary session by END-AMR-Asia
From Sewage to Solutions: How Wastewater Monitoring is Revolutionizing Public Health for
COVID-19 in Thailand
by Dr. Kwanrawee Sirikanchana (Chulabhorn Research Institute, Thailand)
Antibiotic resistance gene abundance and the correlations with fecal source tracking markers
at tropical recreational beaches
by Dr. Prasert Makkaew (Walailak University, Thailand)Continued on next page.
1

International Symposium on
Environmental Dimensions of Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) & COVID-19 for One Health in Asia 2023
27-28th March 2023, UPES Dehradun, India

Vulnerability of urban waters in Sri Lanka to Pharmaceuticals Contaminants in thedevelopment of Antibacterial Resistanceby Dr. Tushara Chaminda (Ruhuna University, Sri Lanka)
Profiling Antibiotic-resistant Bacteria in high and low-density populations of a Tropical City
(Preliminary results)
by Dr. Sulfikar (Universitas Negeri Makassar, Indonesia)
12:45

Lunch break

14:00

Panel discussion by END-AMR-Asia:
What is good monitoring framework of AMR in environment for Asian countries?
Panelists: Dr. Manish Kumar, Dr. Kwanrawee Sirikanchana, Dr. Prasert Makkaew,
Dr. Tushara Chaminda, and Dr. Sulfikar
Facilitator: Dr. Ryo Honda

15:00

Tea break and poster presentation

15:30

Parallel research sessions
Venue 1: Hubble board room
Occurrence of Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products in Ganga and Adjoined WWTPs
Across the Major Cities in Uttarakhand, India
by Dr. Surendra Singh Suthar (Doon University, India)
Antimicrobial Properties of Pyrolysis products of Chinese Fan Palm (Livistona chinensis)
fruitby Dr. Balendu Shekher Giri (UPES, India)
The fate of Antibiotic Resistance During Aerobic Composting of Cattle Manure with Sewage
Sludgeby Dr. Payal Mazumder (UPES, India)
Venue 2: Block AB1 board room
Title (tbc) [Online]
by Dr. Bhumika Prajapati (GBRC)
Continued on next page.
2

International Symposium on
Environmental Dimensions of Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) & COVID-19 for One Health in Asia 2023
27-28th March 2023, UPES Dehradun, India

Unlocking capacity of WBE surveillance for COVID-19 monitoring: Progress and Prospects[Online]by Dr. Vaibhav Srivastava (Central University of Allahabad, India)
Prevalence of Multidrug resistant E-Coli in ambient water of Guwahati, India: Vulnerability
Assessment in Urban Bionetwork [Online]
by Dr. Ritusmita Goswami (TISS, India)
16:30

Round table discussion and valedictory session

17:00

Closing3

Fate of antimicrobial resistome
in wastewater treatment plants and in an urban river in Japan
Ryo Honda1, Hiroe Hara-Yamamura1, Muhammad Adnan Sabar1, Masaru Ihara 2,
Toru Watanabe 3
1 Faculty of Geosciences and Civil Engineering, Kanazawa University, Japan
2 Faculty of Agriculture and Marine Science, Kochi University, Japan
3 Department of Food, Life and Environmental Sciences, Yamagata University, Japan
Abstract: Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are important barriers for preventing the spread of
antimicrobial resistance (AMR) from wastewater into the water environment, as well as the reservoirof AMR. In aquatic environment and WWTPs, AMR potentially proliferate by horizontal gene transfer(HGT) when antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) harbored by mobile gene elements (MGEs), suchas plasmid, integron, transposon, etc. More importantly, combined sewer overflows (CSOs) have agreater impact on spread of AMR, as reported that the annual loading of ARB was estimated as 3.7log larger than that of WWTP effluent (Honda et al. 2019).
We have investigated transition of antimicrobial resistome in 5 WWTPs in Japan over a variety ofgeographical locations, seasons, and biological treatment configurations. The results revealed that
antimicrobial resistome transited at two locations during wastewater treatment process. The
antimicrobial resistome in influent wastewater was characterized by ARGs to clinically important drugclasses, whereas sludge abundantly retained multidrug ARGs associated with the efflux pump.
Importantly, some ARGs of wastewater origin bypassed biological treatment and was retained in thetreated effluent in conventional wastewater treatment processes.In an urban river receiving CSO andWWTP effluents, ARG abundance significantly increased during the CSO event and dry weather.
Importantly, more ARGs to clinically important drug classes remarkably increased at the CSO event.
The abundance of tnpA, and intI1 was highly correlated with the total ARG abundance, suggesting its
potential application as an indicator for estimating resistome contamination.
Biography:
Dr. Ryo Honda (Japan)
Professor, Kanazawa University(Faculty of Geosciences and Civil Engineering)
Field: Water microbiology; Membrane-applied biological process
Research interest:Ø

Antimicrobial resistome in wastewater & water environmentØWastewater-based epidemiology on COVID and AMR

4

Conflicts and Contagion: Companions in Arms that Accelerate
Antimicrobial Resistance
Manish Kumar1,2*, Rahul Silori1, Payal Mazumder1,3, Jürgen Mahlknecht2
12

Sustainability Cluster, School of Engineering, UPES, Dehradun, India

Escuela de Ingeniería y Ciencias, Tecnologico de Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico
3

Centre for the Environment, IIT Guwahati, India

Abstract: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) generally develops through drug overuse, andinappropriate prescription and disposal. However, wars and pandemics play a synergistic role inaccelerating AMR and recent conflicts and COVID-19 have jeopardized antimicrobial stewardship.
Wars and pandemics can affect large fractions of a human population simultaneously without regard
for geographic boundaries. It has been reported that in World War I (WWI) alone, approximately 21
million people sustained injuries. War-related injuries, diseases, migration, poor sanitation, andpollution might lead to the spread of AMR. During WWII, many teenagers, and underage boys andgirls enlisted in the military, and with an increase in admission to soldiers, teenagers, and women had
to fill up the worker’s posts at factories, farms, and agricultural fields increasing their exposure to
infections/diseases. Antibiotics were also given to soldiers as enhancers during wars. Penicillin andMethicillin resistance was soon observed during WWII. The 2022 Russian strike on Ukraine resulted
in the destruction of healthcare facilities, leading to prolonged injuries without treatment thus, causing
infections. Similarly, regional and global pandemics result in the need for the simultaneous treatmentof significant sections of a population. The increase in antibiotic consumption and AMR development
following major global events are alarming. AMR-related illnesses in the U.S. have not only persisted
but have become worse in 2020. Similarly, in China, India, and Portugal, an increase in antibiotic
consumption and treatment of patients with antibiotics was observed. It's important to consider all
potential sources of AMR and comprehend the processes and pathways to stop it from spreading. To
stop the spread of resistance and extend the useful life of antibiotics as a valuable resource, best
management practices are desperately required.
Biography:
Dr. Manish Kumar (India)
Professor and Cluster head, UPES, Dehradun, India (Sustainability Cluster)Field: Environmental Engineering
Research interest:Ø

Fate, transport, and remediation of geogenic, micro, microbial, andemerging contaminants in freshwater systems

Ø

Hydro-geochemistry5From Sewage to Solutions:
How Wastewater Monitoring is Revolutionizing Public Health for
COVID-19 in Thailand
Kwanrawee SirikanchanaLaboratory of Biotechnology, Chulabhorn Research Institute, Thailand
Abstract: This study investigated the utility of wastewater monitoring for detecting COVID-19
outbreaks and variants in Thailand. Wastewater samples were collected from 19 centralized
wastewater treatment plants, comprising four large, four medium, and 11 small WWTPs, during sevensampling events from January to April 2021. The results revealed a strong correlation between
wastewater surveillance (positive rates and viral loads) and daily new COVID-19 cases, suggesting its
potential as an early warning system for COVID-19 resurgence. Additionally, the study found thatroutine monitoring of four large WWTPs could provide sufficient information for city-scale dynamics.
Furthermore, the study identified the potential of using wastewater monitoring in international
gateway cities, Bangkok and Phuket, as sentinel sites for monitoring COVID-19 variants. Wastewater
samples were collected from eight representative municipal WWTPs in Bangkok and Phuket during
19 sampling events from October 2021 to March 2022. The results showed that the viral loads ofdifferent COVID-19 variants detected in wastewater samples agreed with daily new cases, indicating
the potential of wastewater-based epidemiology to detect the arrival of new variants and support
tourism-dependent economies. Overall, the study concluded that wastewater surveillance could play a
critical role in detecting COVID-19 outbreaks and variants in populations and tourist hotspots,
providing early warning and supporting public health efforts in Thailand.

Biography:
Dr. Kwanrawee Joy Sirikanchana (Thailand)
Senior Research Scientist 2, Laboratory of Biotechnology, Chulabhorn
Research Institute
Field: Environmental Biotechnology
Research interest: Health-related water microbiology, wastewater-based
epidemiology, microbial source tracking, water treatment anddisinfection, quantitative microbial risk assessment, antimicrobial
resistance in environment

6Antibiotic resistance gene abundance and the correlations with fecal
source tracking markers at tropical recreational beaches
Makkaew, P1., Kongprajug, A., Chyerochana, N., Sresung, M., Precha, N., Mongkolsuk,S., and Sirikanchana, K.
1

Department of Environmental Health and Technology, School of Public Health, Walailak
University, Thailand

Abstract: This study examined spatiotemporal variations of six Antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs)(blaNDM, blaTEM, blaVIM, mcr-1, sul1, and tetQ) against the widely used antibiotic groups and a class 1
integron-integrase gene (intI1) at two Thai tropical recreational beaches (n = 41). Correlations between
ARGs and sewage-specific MST markers (i.e., crAssphage and human polyomaviruses [HPyVs]) andfecal indicator bacteria (i.e., total coliforms, fecal coliforms, and enterococci) were also investigated.
BlaTEM, intI1, sul1, and tetQ were ubiquitous at both beaches (85.4-100% detection rate); intI1 was themost abundant (3-6 orders in log10 copies/100 mL), followed by blaTEM (2-4 orders), sul1 (2-3 orders),
and tetQ (2-4 orders). BlaNDM was found in 7.3% (up to 4 orders), and no mcr-1 was detected.
Interestingly, blaVIM was prevalent at one beach (2-5 orders; n = 17), but found in only one sample atthe other (4 orders). Temporal, but not spatial, differences were noticed; blaTEM was at higher levels in
the wet season. IntI1 correlated with sul1 and tetQ (Spearman's rho = 0.47-0.97), suggesting potential
horizontal gene transfer. CrAssphage, but not HPyVs, correlated with intI1, sul1, and tetQ (Spearman's
rho = 0.50-0.74). Higher numbers of ARGs tended to co-occur in samples with higher crAssphage
concentrations, implying sewage contribution to the marine water, with a persisting ARG background.
This study provides insight into the ARG pollution status of tropical coastal waters and suggests
crAssphage as a proxy for ARG pollution, which could facilitate effective management policies tominimize ARG dissemination in marine environments.
Biography:
Dr. Prsaert Makkaew (Thailand)
Lecturer, Walailak University(Department of Environmental Health and Technology, School of
Public Health)Field: Environmental HealthResearch interest:
ØHealth-related water microbiology

ØMicrobial food safety in food service establishments

7

Vulnerability of urban waters in Sri Lanka to Pharmaceuticals
Contaminants in the development of Antibacterial Resistance
GG Tushara Chaminda1, R. Honda, M. Kumar, M. Otaki and Y. Otaki
1

Faculty of Engineering, University of Ruhuna, Sri Lanka

Abstract: Emerging contaminants such as multi-drug resistant microbes and Pharmaceuticals andPersonal Care Products (PPCPs) in urban waters have become vital in urban sustainability issues. We
tried to use pharmaceutical contaminants as markers to detect fecal pollution in groundwater andsurface water and also assess the prevalence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) in urban waters in
Sri Lanka. Our studies detected around 20 PPCPs in urban waters in Sri Lanka. Acetaminophen was
dominant in hospital discharge (up to 124 µg/L), while caffeine was the most significant contributor
to municipal wastewater (up to 69 µg/L). We suggest using Caffeine, Carbamazepine, andAcetaminophen for detecting domestic pollution in groundwater and surface water. We also noticed
that 50 to 100 % of antibiotic resistance in urban waters of Sri Lanka is comparatively higher than inother countries, alarming that multidrug-resistant has become a significant concern for community
health. Compared to municipal wastewater, hospital wastewater effluent had a higher proportion ofmultidrug resistance due to the higher concentration of pharmaceutical products. We observed that no
significant contribution of fecal contamination was found to increase the antibiotic resistance ratio.
Further, we noted that the resistance percentage for older antibiotics like Sulfamethoxazole (ST) >Tetracycline (TC) was higher than the newer antibiotics in urban rivers in Sri Lanka. We strongly
recommend continuously monitoring the urban water sources for PPCPs and ARB, as ongoingassessments are required for sustainable water management.
Biography:
Dr. GG Tushara Chaminda (Sri Lanka)
Professor in Civil and Environmental Engineering,
Faculty of Engineering, University of Ruhuna
Field: Environmental Engineering
Research interest:ØEmerging pollutants in urban watersØ

Viral indicators for tracking contamination fromonsite sanitation systems

Ø

Sustainable water management

8Profiling Antibiotic-resistant Bacteria in high and low-density
populations of a Tropical City (Preliminary results)
Sulfikar1, Rismawati Herman, Muhammad Afdal, Akmal Saputra, Zuhrah Adminira,Maryono1

Department of Chemistry, Universitas Negeri Makassar, Indonesia

Abstract: Makassar is the fourth largest city in Indonesia in the south of Sulawesi Island in the central
part of the Indonesian archipelago. Uneven distribution of wealth has created enclaves of lowpopulation density housing wealthy residents next to high-density slum areas. Treatment of domestic
wastewater is done in each house using a septic tank. We isolated E. coli from wastewater from drains(n = 60) in areas of different housing densities, from high to low density. We also sampled E. coli
isolated from surfaces (i.e. toilet seat, water tap, and carpet, n = 40) in a mosque located within eacharea to see the antibiotic resistance profile within the population of these areas. The susceptibility of
the isolates was tested against amoxicillin-clavulanate, amikacin, chloramphenicol, norfloxacin, andtrimethoprim using the Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion test. We found the number of resistant isolates washighest (70%) and more multiresistant (30%) from the high-density areas compared to the low-density
enclave (30% and 5%, respectively). Resistance to all antibiotics tested was observed, except inisolates from low-density enclaves. In the latter, E. coli was resistant to amx-c and trimethoprim.
Different results were observed in the mosque samples. We found two and four-resistant isolates inhigh- and low-density enclaves. Isolates from the low-density enclaves were resistant to amx-c,
amikacin and trimethoprim. In comparison, those from the high-density enclave were resistant toamikacin. Our findings show that high-density housing with poor wastewater infrastructure might
influence the occurrence of antibiotic resistance bacteria. The resistance profile in wastewater was notsimilar to the resistance profiles in the mosque. The results indicate using a different sampling regime
if the purpose is to monitor the occurrence of ARB in the human population,S similar to Makassar’scontext.
Biography:
Dr. Eng. Sulfikar (Indonesia)
Senior Lecturer, Universitas Negeri Makassar(Department of Chemistry)
Field: Environmental and Analytical Chemistry
Research interest:ØAntibiotic-resistant BacteriaØ

Biogeochemistry9Occurrence of Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products in Ganga
and Adjoined WWTPs Across the Major Cities in Uttarakhand, India
Surindra Suthar
Doon University, India
Abstract: This study summarized the occurrence and seasonal variations of 15 different
pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) belonging to eight different classes in an urban
stretch of River Ganges and wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) as well at two holy cities Rishikesh
and Haridwar (India). The overall concentration of PPCPs ranged between Below Detectable Limit(BDL) and 1104.84 ng/L in the water of the River Ganges. Acetaminophen, triclosan, N, N diethylmeta-toluamide (DEET), tetracycline, and caffeine showed the highest detection frequency (> 90 –100 %) in the river. PPCPs concentration, especially for NSAIDs (Ibuprofen, ketoprofen andacetaminophen), antibiotics (ciprofloxacin, tetracycline and ofloxacin) and metabolite (salicylic acid)was found to be higher in winter compared to summer in the Ganges. The seasonal variations in PPCPs
at the studied stretch of Ganga could be attributed to the biodegradation efficiency related totemperatures and sunlight during different seasons. Results of risk quiescent (RQ) revealed a higher
ecological risk for algae while a moderate risk for river fish biota. While in four studied WWTPs, anaverage total concentration of PPCPs was found to be 147.20 ng L-1 in influent, 105.06 ng L-1 in theeffluent, and 87.75 ng Kg-1 in sludge. Results suggested a spatial and seasonal variation in PPCPs
loads in influent, effluent and sludge in STPs studied. The overall PPCPs removal efficiencies of STPs
were recorded in the ranges of -154 – 63% while the total mass load of PPCPs studied ranged between
0.02 and 448.64 mg/d/1000 population. The disposal of wastewater from untapped wastewater sources,
WWTPs, anthropogenic activities (mass bathing, beach camping, water sports, etc.) and heavy pilgrim
tourism in local areas were identified as active sources of PPCPs in the River Ganges. Long-termmonitoring is required to examine the possible threat of PPCPs to the health of the river ecosystemand human population across the River Ganga basin.
Biography:
Dr. Surindra Suthar (India)
Associate Professor, Doon University
Field: Environmental Contamination & Management
Research interest:ØEmerging pollutants and phytoremediationØConstructed wetlands and wastewater Treatment

Ø

Waste-to-Energy, Sustainable Waste Management Practices

Ø

Developing Biochar-based-Slow-Release Fertilizers
10Antimicrobial Properties of Pyrolysis products of Chinese Fan Palm
(Livistona chinensis) fruit
Balendu Shekher Giri1 , Mandavi Goswami2, Ram Sharan Singh3, Manish Kumar1
1

University of Petroleum and Energy Studies (UPES), India
2

3

Indian Institute of Technology, India

India Institute of Technology Banaras Hindu University, India

Abstract: The discharge of industrial effluents from various industries is a multidimensional problem
which affects ecosystem in several ways even though many new technologies are being developed, it
remains to be seen which of those can be practiced in a real scenario. The current investigation attempts
to adsorb an effluent from textile dye using Chinese Fan Palm Seed Biochar (CFPSB). Accordingly,
this biochar is prepared using fruits of Chinese Fan Palm (Livistona chinensis) tree. The fruit also
yielded a significant amount of biochar and bio-oil. 1.346 kg of fresh and cleaned fruit was fastpyrolyzed at 500-700 0C in a laboratory scale pyrolizer resulting in 0.487 kg of biochar and 0.803 Lof bio-oil. CFPSB yield came out to be 36.2% and bio-oil yield came out to be 59.7%, accounting fornearly 96% of the input. The extracted CFP seed bio-oil exhibited significant antibacterial activity on
the four different bacterial species including E. coli, Serratia sp., B. subtilis and P. fluorescens. The
numerical value of these all strains were in the form colony forming unit (CFU) which were around
109 while their optical density (OD) was 1 at 600 nm wavelength. The bacterial colonies on the agar
plate experienced cytotoxic effect by the action of various organic and inorganic molecules from thebio-oil, which was evident by the zones of inhibition. It has been observed that the maximum zone of
inhibition of 3.3 cm was found for P. fluorescens while for B. subtilis, it was 3.22 cm. Serratia sp.
showed the least inhibition at 2.15 cm and E. coli portrayed 2.9 cm.
Keywords: Biosorption; Textile Dye; Biochar; Bio-oil, Zone of Inhibition, Antibacterial activity
Biography:
Dr. Balendu Shekher Giri (India)
Assistant Professor, Sustainability Cluster, SoE, UPES, Dehradun
Field: Environmental Biotechnology and Sustainable Engineering
Research interest:
Topic 1: Hybrid treatment system for environmental pollutants
Topic 2: Application of pyrolyzed products including biochar and bio-oil
Topic 3: Microbial application for the biotreatment systems

11

The fate of Antibiotic Resistance During Aerobic Composting of Cattle
Manure with Sewage Sludge
Payal Mazumder1,2, Manish Kumar2,3, Ajay Kalamdhad4
1Centre for the Environment, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, India
2
3

Sustainability Cluster, Department of Civil and HSE, UPES, India

Escuela de Ingeniería y Ciencias, Tecnologico de Monterrey, Mexico
4

Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Guwahati, India

Abstract: One of the biggest threats to world health in the post-COVID-19 era is antibiotic tolerance.
While manure and sewer sludge (SS) has been utilized as nutrient-rich fertilizers for millennia, recent
studies have drawn attention to the spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) through the soil
application of these materials. This research examined the microbial population and the prevalence ofantibiotic resistance bacteria and genes (ARB/Gs) in SS, cattle manure (CD), and their compost
products. 16S rRNA gene-based metagenomic analysis showed that the sewage sludge compost (SSC)
had major classes of bacteria viz., Bacteroidia, Alphaproteobacteria, Gammaproteobacteria,
Flavobacteriia, Methanobacteria, Planctomycetia, and Actinobacteria. While CD comprised
Methanomicrobia, Bacteroidia, Planctomycetia, Spirochaetes, Alphaproteobacteria, Acidimicrobiia,
and Clostridia. E. coli was isolated from SS, CD, and SSC samples, and antibiotic resistivity test
against kanamycin monosulphate (KM), ciprofloxacin (CIP), norfloxacin (NFX), levofloxacin (LVX)],
sulfamethoxazole (ST), and tetracycline (TC) was conducted. In SS, NFX, CIP, KM, and ST-resistant
E. coli were dominant. Whereas, in CD and SSC, resistivity for KM and ST was seen. ARGs tet(40,41), catQ, cmx; EreB, OXA-58, TEM-131; OXA-237, tet(42), TEM-89, smeD, floR were found in thesamples. The results indicated the abundance of ARB/Gs increased in the final product.
Keywords: Antibiotic resistance; metagenome; compost; sewage sludge; manure
Biography:
Payal Mazumder (India)
Assistant Professor, UPES, Dehradun, India(Sustainability Cluster)Field: Environmental Microbiology
Research interest:Ø

Antimicrobial resistance and its spreadØ

Micro- and nano-plastics in soil and aquatic environment12

Unlocking capacity of WBE surveillance for COVID-19 monitoring:
Progress and Prospects
Vaibhav Srivastava1, Shashank Shekhar, Manish Kumar*
1

Department of Botany, University of Allahabad, Prayagraj, India

Abstract: The current ongoing global Coronavirus disease (COVID-19), caused by the infection of
SARS-CoV-2, has spread in 216 countries and territories, with >761 million confirmed cases and morethan 6.8 million deaths worldwide, as of March 20, 2023 (WHO, 2022). Further, in the current
COVID-19 outbreak, a large part of infections is undiagnosed because about half of COVID-19
infections are asymptomatic. The advantage of WBE is to enable surveillance including thoseundiagnosed people. WBE for COVID-19 is reportedly effective for early warning of outbreak and tofind and quarantine undiagnosed infections in a community. Recently, the emergence and spread of
new variants with higher infectivity increases threats of COVID-19. Several studies reported thedetection of SARS-CoV-2 variants by sequencing viral genetic materials in wastewater samples.
However, optimization and standardization of the methodology are required for a reliable application
to inter-regional comparison. On the other hand, there has been unparalleled consumption of
antimicrobials (antivirals/antibiotics) during this COVID-19 pandemic is feared to bring a dangerous
spike in the increase of antidrug resistance (ADR) in different matrices of the environment, posing a
possibility of another pandemic of ADR. Therefore, it is requisite to trace the COVID-19 imprints on
the prevalence of ADR through wastewater-based genomic epidemiology (WBGE). Early detection
and containment of new variants are becoming an important strategy for control of the current COVID19 outbreak. Genotyping of SARS-CoV-2 variants in wastewater, i.e. WBGE is a promising approachto enable early detection and the spatiotemporal tracking of the emerging variants.
Biography:
Dr. Vaibhav Srivastava (India)
Assistant Professor, University of Allahabad, Prayagraj(Department of Botany)
Field: Ecology and Environment; Cytogenetics
Research interest:Ø

Waste Management,ØEcotoxicology,ØEmerging Contaminants

13

Prevalence of Multidrug resistant E-Coli in ambient water of
Guwahati, India: Vulnerability Assessment in Urban Bionetwork
Ritusmita Goswami1, Trishna Kalita, Niraj Singh, Birson Ingti
1

Centre for Ecology, Environment and Sustainable Development, Tata Institute of Social
Sciences

Abstract: Emerging pollutants in the water ecosystem and rise of bacterial contamination has becomea major issue worldwide concerning human health. The study aimed to identify the presence of total
coliform and E. coli that predicts faecal contamination, assess the antibiotic susceptibility of E.coli
from different water sources, and examine the groundwater quality of urban as well as rural areas of
the Kamrup district, Assam. Water samples (n=90) were collected from Brahmaputra, Bharalu andBahini river, open wells and tube wells and analysed for coliform presence (by membrane filtration),
isolation of E. coli by standard protocols and Antibiotic susceptibility test (Kirby- Bauer disc diffusion
method). Comparative analysis between different water sources and the quality of urban v/s rural
groundwater was done. Coliforms and e.coli was found in all the water sources, highest in river water(coliform,E.coli-100%), well water (coliform-80%,E.coli-75%) and showing more E.coli
presence(30%) in urban than rural groundwater. Antibiotics kanamycin (43.34%) and tetracycline(38.5%) showed highest resistance to river water and well water whereas amikacin (90%) andnorfloxacin (87.92%) showed maximum susceptibility. Faecal contamination and antibiotic resistancein water sources with inefficient wastewater treatment to monitor these issues may increase risk ofwater borne diseases in Guwahati. E.coli positivity in groundwater makes it highly vulnerable
embarking awareness for communities depending on groundwater. The study serves as a call to combat
misuse of antibiotics, and limiting dispersal of bacterial contamination and selection of resistance inthe water ecosystem.
Biography:
Dr. Ritusmita Goswami (India)
Assistant Professor, Tata Institute of Social Sciences(Centre for Ecology, Environment and Sustainable Development)
Field: Environmental Science
Research interest:Ø

Groundwater contamination and remediationØPrevalence of Emerging contaminants and Antibiotic
Resistance Bacteria in urban ecosystem

14