Microorganisms, antimicrobial resistance, aquatic microbiology, one health, pathogens
Theme 1 - Measuring
LabIM and IPR have experience in projects involving pathogens and antimicrobial resistance bacteria, as well as aquatic microbiology, and have interest to cooperate in the proposals from Aquatic Pollutants. We have developed projects focusing on the characterization of the antimicrobial resistance and tolerance in bacteria important to human and animal health and of environmental interest considering the one health context, which has resulted in publication of scientific articles and human resource training at undergraduate and post-graduate levels. As part of previous projects, developed at IPR, dozens of bacterial and yeast isolates were obtained from cultures of water samples collected in the ocean environment of the South Brazilian coast (Pelotas Basin) and also at different points in the Guarani Aquifer System (GAS) in the state of RS. Part of the bacterial isolates from the ocean environment have already been identified, and some are being investigated through genomic analyzes, whose initial data indicated the presence of antibiotic resistance genes. Some of the sampled points of the GAS showed, in the chemical analysis of water, levels of the pesticides of Glyphosate and 2,4-D above the expected for this type of reservoir.
In this context, due to the high relevance regarding environmental and public health concerns, we are able to detect and identify microorganisms from a large variety of environmental sources, as well as to characterize microorganisms regarding antimicrobial resistance and susceptibility to agrochemicals, like Glyphosate and 2-4D, using phenotypic and molecular methods.
The Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul is a private non-profit University located in Porto Alegre, capital of the southernmost state of Brazil, Rio Grande do Sul. PUCRS is committed to academic excellence and the dissemination of knowledge and innovation. PUCRS is one of the best and most prestigious Universities in Brazil, ranking among the 20 best higher education institutions in Latin America according to the Times Higher Education Latin America 2019. PUCRS offers a complete infrastructure for teaching, research and extension, which includes laboratories and centers for research, culture, environmental conservation and technology, a distinguished interdisciplinary complex, a distance education department and specialized student services. Concerning the Laboratory of Immunology and Microbiology (LabIM) of the School of Health and Life Sciences at PUCRS, it presents infrastructure to develop studies involving culture and characterization of microorganisms, including antimicrobial resistance, and presents Biosafety Quality Certificate obtained from the Brazilian government. LabIM develops research projects with Sao Lucas Hospital (674-bed tertiary care teaching hospital of PUCRS) focusing on antimicrobial resistance in hospital environment. LabIM also works together with the Institute of Petroleum and Natural Resources (IPR) at PUCRS, which conducts multidisciplinary research focusing on energy and natural resources to analyze its quality and sustainable use. Most of IPR projects have received financial support by Petrobrás (Petróleo Brasileiro S.A, Brazil), and some of them included deep sequencing analyses of aquatic microbial communities.