The University?is to?undertake new research?into?the levels of?antibiotic resistant bacteria?present in agricultural soil, which?could subsequently?pass into?the food chain.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR)?poses a significant threat to society.?If?left unaddressed,?by 2050 it will kill more people than cancer and?cost (globally)?more than the size of the current global economy (Review on Antimicrobial Resistance, 2014).

The University’s new?research aims to discover how AMR is first introduced into natural soil bacteria,?as well as the differences?in how antibiotic resistant bacteria?are transferred?between different soil types (specifically, clay, loam and sandy soils).?Potential findings?could?help to?inform the Government’s future AMR policy and management strategies.

Professor Bill Keevil and Dr Marc Dumont from the University’s Network on Antimicrobial Resistance and Infection (NAMRIP) will lead the study, which received ?198,000 funding from the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC).

The full story can be accessed?here.