Tracking antibiotic-resistant bacteria in community and hospital wastewater
Official title: Operationalizing wastewater-based surveillance of multidrug-resistant bacteria
Funded at Children's Hosp of Philadelphia · NIH-11457741 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project uses regular wastewater checks to track antibiotic-resistant bacteria in communities and hospitals to help protect patients.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Children's Hosp of Philadelphia NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Philadelphia, United States) |
| Project start | August 8, 2022 |
| Project end | July 31, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $91,675 |
| NIH project number | 3R00AI163348-04S1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11457741 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
The most relevant people would be patients, staff, and community members in the hospitals and sewer catchment areas where wastewater and clinical samples are collected, especially those with suspected or confirmed antibiotic-resistant infections.
✕Less likely to help
People living outside the studied hospital or sewer areas, or those without exposure to antibiotic-resistant bacteria, may not see direct benefit from this project.
What this research studies
From my point of view, researchers will build small model wastewater systems that mimic sewer flow and change conditions like flow speed, pH, and retention time to see how resistant bacteria and resistance genes travel and survive. They will also collect real wastewater and compare the genetic signals they find with hospital clinical detection of multidrug-resistant organisms using DNA sequencing. The team aims to improve methods for measuring resistance in wastewater so results better reflect true community and hospital burdens. If tools are reliable, public-health teams could use them to spot hidden carriers and anticipate outbreaks earlier.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, routine wastewater checks could give earlier warnings of outbreaks of drug-resistant bacteria and help hospitals and public-health teams prevent infections.
How similar studies have gone: Wastewater monitoring worked well for tracking viruses like SARS-CoV-2 and resistance genes have been detected in sewage, but using wastewater routinely to track multidrug-resistant bacteria is still relatively new.
Where this research is happening
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Children's Hosp of Philadelphia
Philadelphia, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Annavajhala, Medini K — Children's Hosp of Philadelphia
- Study coordinator: Annavajhala, Medini K
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.