The Institute of Health Emergencies and Pandemics (IHEP) invites the University of Toronto community for a talk presented by postdoctoral fellow David Kormos titled “Airborne Pathways of Antimicrobial Resistance: Exploring Bioaerosols in Environmental and Public Health Surveillance,” highlighting the emerging role of airborne AMR in shaping future public health monitoring and emergency preparedness.
Topic description: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a major global health threat and is responsible for billions of dollars in direct healthcare costs and lost productivity in Canada. While AMR spread has long been tracked through water and soil, bioaerosols have only recently been recognized as a potential critical pathway. Bioaerosols are airborne particles carrying microorganisms and genetic material that can enable long-range transport of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and other pathogens, potentially spreading resistance across ecosystems, and infecting humans and animals via inhalation. Interest in research into airborne AMR is growing, as are the challenges. These include choosing the right environments, sampling instruments, and analytical techniques for the diverse research questions, and capturing and analyzing low-biomass samples, a constant problem with any bioaerosol research. This presentation will summarize our current understanding of airborne ARGs in different environments and discuss the sampling strategies and molecular techniques at our disposal.
Date: December 3rd
Time: 2:00 – 3:00 p.m.
Location: Room TBD, 155 College St., Health Sciences Building, Dalla Lana School of Public Health