FURI | Summer 2020

Risk Analysis of Antibiotic Resistant Genes Transferred to Raw Vegetables via Land Application of Biosolids

In agriculture, various forms of recycled water are utilized to compensate for the scarcity of freshwater, including wastewater reuse in the form of biosolids. However, biosolids pose risks to human health and the environment due to contaminants such as antibiotic resistant bacteria and their associated genes. This research determines the risk of exposure to antibiotic resistant genes in raw vegetables transferred via land application of biosolids. The most prevalent and high-exposure antibiotic resistant genes are identified via a probabilistic model based on data provided by an analysis of gene concentrations in recent studies. This model is essential to prioritizing antibiotic resistance threats due to agricultural water reuse.