Antimicrobial resistance dashboard application for mapping environmental occurrence and resistant pathogens

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Microbiology
• Public Health

Background:

• Antibiotic resistance (AR) poses a significant global health threat, driven by the spread of antibiotic resistance genes (ARG) and bacteria (ARB) in both environmental and clinical settings.
• Effective monitoring and data analysis are crucial for understanding and combating the increasing prevalence of AR.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and introduce a novel Antibiotic Resistance (AR) Dashboard application for comprehensive geospatial mapping and analysis of AR data.
• To create a centralized database integrating diverse AR studies for regional and global-scale insights into ARGs and ARB occurrence and transmission.

Main Methods:

• The AR Dashboard application was initially populated using data from qPCR ARG array testing on surface waters, wastewater treatment facility influents, and clinical isolates.
• Data from previously published studies, including river, park soil, and swine farm samples, were integrated to broaden the database scope.
• The application facilitates the collection and geospatial mapping of AR studies, reported occurrence, and antibiograms, with downloadable data for offline analysis.

Main Results:

• The integrated database enables identification of AR hotspots, tracking of AR spread and transmission pathways.
• It allows for quantification of environmental and human factors influencing ARG-harboring organisms and differentiation of natural versus anthropogenic ARGs.
• The system can cluster ARGs, compare connections across environments and hosts, and identify potential proxy genes for monitoring pollution.

Conclusions:

• The AR Dashboard provides a powerful, scalable tool for researchers and public health officials to understand and manage antibiotic resistance.
• Its ability to integrate diverse data sets and provide actionable insights supports targeted interventions and pollution monitoring efforts.
• User engagement through beta version testing and feedback is encouraged to enhance the application's functionalities and utility.