Supervised by:

Alexander Culley (Regular member)

Research project description

Characterization of viral and bacterial antibiotic resistance genes in high Arctic lakes

IntroductionAntibiotic resistance is one of the biggest challenges to the health of our society. Since the discovery of penicillin, bacteria have developed mechanisms of resistance to antibiotics. In addition, the excessive use of antibiotics in our society has further driven the transfer and evolution of antibiotic-resistant genes (ARGs) in bacteria. ARGs naturally occur in wild bacterial communities for a variety of reasons and are frequently found in environments contaminated with wastewater. ObjectivesIn order to better understand these genes in the North, the principle objective of this project is to characterize the antibiotic resistance genes from microbial communities from aerosols and lakes in and around the hamlet of Resolute Bay, Nunavut, based on metagenomic methods. My specific objectives are: to characterize ARG populations along a continuum of anthropogenically-influenced environments, identify ARGs of viral origin and compare aerosol ARG populations with those from aquatic environments. Study sitesThe Masters project will focus on the Resolute Bay, Nunavut area. We have samples from various lakes in this area, including Meretta Lake. This lake is of interest for this research project since it has been subject to wastewater discharges for almost 40 years. Thus, it will be possible to compare the ARGs present in the lakes where there was no spill and the ARGs present in Meretta Lake. Material and methodsFirst of all, following sample collection, there was filtration on 0.02 um anotops. Subsequently, the extraction of the anotops was carried out. Next, metagenomic analyses will be performed to identify antibiotic resistance genes of bacterial and viral origin present in the samples. Expected resultsAlthough ARGs are relatively well described in temperate environments, almost nothing is known about these genes and their means of dispersal in the High Arctic. However, it is likely that more ARGs are found in Meretta Lake due to sewage discharges than in lakes where there have been no discharges.

Research Site Coordinates

Scientific Communications

George, P.B.L., Rossi, F., St-Germain, M.-W., Amato, P., Badard, T., Bergeron, M.G., Boissinot, M., Charette, S.J., Coleman, B.L., Corbeil, J., Culley, A.I., Gaucher, M.-L., Girard, M., Godbout, S., Kirychuk, S., Marette, A., McGeer, A., O'shaughnessy, P., Parmley, E.J., Simard, S., Reid-Smith, R.J., Topp, E., Trudel, L., Yao, M., Brassard, P., Delort, A.-M., Larios, A.D., Létourneau, V., Paquet, V.E., Pedneau, M.-H., Pic, É., Thompson, B., Veillette, M., Thaler, M., Scapino, I., Lebeuf, M., Baghdadi, M., Castillo Toro, A., Bélanger Cayouette, A., Dubois, M.-J., Durocher, A.F., Girard, S.B., Carranza Diaz, A.K., Khalloufi, A., Leclerc, S., Lemieux, J., Pérez Maldonado, M., Pilon, G., Murphy, C.P., Notling, C.A., Ofori-Darko, D., Provencher, J., Richer-Fortin, A., Turgeon, N., Duchaine, C., 2022. Antimicrobial resistance in the environment: Towards elucidating the roles of bioaerosols in transmission and detection of antibacterial resistance genes. Antibiotics, 11(7), 974. DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics11070974.