The DCU Water Institute recently hosted its first Water Café of 2025, featuring Dr. Nicole L. Fahrenfeld from Rutgers University. Her presentation, Understanding Environmental Antibiotic Resistance in Urban Waters, explored the growing concern of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in urban water systems—a pressing issue with implications for public health and water quality.
Why Should We Care About Antibiotic Resistance in Water?
Antibiotic resistance is a major global health challenge, but it’s not just confined to hospitals or healthcare settings. Urban water systems—including rivers, wastewater treatment plants, and stormwater runoff—act as reservoirs for antibiotic-resistant bacteria and genes. These ARGs can spread through horizontal gene transfer (HGT), allowing bacteria to share resistance traits and making infections harder to treat.
Research from Rutgers University
Dr.Fahrenfeld’s research highlights how wastewater treatment plants can both reduce and concentrate ARGs, allowing them to re-enter the environment. She also discussed the distinction between viable and extracellular ARGs, the role of disinfection in resistance management, and how treatments like chlorination can sometimes worsen resistance. The talk also touched on the unexpected impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on ARG trends, emphasizing the need for continued research and monitoring.