DESCRIPTION
Abstract
Present project advances a bio-economic approach, that is inter-institutional (implying one coordinator plus five partners) and systemic, of AMR (antimicrobial resistance) in terms of i) economic efficiency ii) sustainability in the environment, and iii) societal acceptance of the structured grid covering man – domestic/ wild animals and pets – food/fodder – environment (water/soil).
Project scope covers a bio-economic survey of consumption/usage of antimicrobial products (i.e. longitudinal inquiry regarding consumption/usage of antimicrobial products), as well as resistance of microorganisms (such as coli and Staphylococcus aureus) to antimicrobial products (by inquiries/studies and cross-sector approaches of the four trophic subsystems (water/soil – food/fodder – animals (wild/farm and pets) – man. Integrated survey of the polyvalent systems grid will be analyzed by an informatics-statistics-mathemati cs approach, so that the red HUB’s (critical subgrids/nodes) can be identified. Actually, each subsystem strives full-might to be economically efficient (healthy crops, fast cheap diagnosis methods for real-time intervention, and such like) and resilient (resilience to infections of animals and of man, but also multiplication and AMR developed by the microbs).
It is our hypothesis that mapping out and societal acceptance of accurate intervention points (each subsystem’s studies cutoffs) geared in the HUB’s grid, will allow for management and efficient survey of consumption/ AMR. Beyond the inter-institutional co-operation, licenses, studies, reports and data bases supplied to society, multidisciplinary study of AMR will permit signalling out the red HUB’s to be used for societal welfare, such HUB’s now supporting a complex system as fighting resistance to antimicrobial products.
Objective
The aim of the project is to approach a bio-economic surveillance of the application of antimicrobial products (through a longitudinal investigation regarding the consumption/use of antimicrobial products) and the resistance of microorganisms (E. coli and Staphylococcus aureus) to antimicrobial products: through surveys / studies and transversal approach in four trophic subsystems (water / soil - food / feed - animals (livestock, wild animals and pets) and man. The integrated network surveillance of the polyvalent systems will be analysed through an informatical and mathematical approach with the purpose of identifying subnets / critical nodes (red HUBs). In fact, each subsystem uses all possible means to be cost-effective (profit for companies that sell antimicrobial preparations, food / feed, healthy and big livestock production for farmers, fast and low cost methods of diagnosis and „real time intervention", etc.) and to be long lasting (the lasting of mankind, animal’s resistance to infection, but on the other hand, the resistance and adaptation developed by microbes).
The institutions involved in the partnership between the IC-USAB (the coordinating institution) and: P1 SCJUT - OncoGEN, P2 - UV Timişoara, P3 UBB –Cluj Napoca and P4-ICDP Brașov will examine each subsystem of the trophic pyramid: environment - food - animals and humans will all be analysed from the perspective of i) the use of antimicrobial products (the input element), and ii) the mechanisms of sensitivity / resistance of E. coli and Staphylococcus aureus microbes based on (cut off-s) morphological, pharmacological, clinical, genetic and social criteria in all sub-systems considered (as output elements / adaptation to proper / improper use).
The hypothesis being that delimitation / social acceptance of intervention points precisely involved in the network HUB and cut-offs of studies for each subsystem will allow monitoring the utilisation (the study does not prohibit access to antimicrobial preparations but proposes to signal some aspects necessary to control their use) and controlling the AMR phenomenon. Beyond inter-institutional collaboration, patents, studies, reports and databases offered to society, the multidisciplinary studies on AMR will identify and report some red flags (red HUB) to supervise the use and control of the AMR phenomenon in a complex system subject to study through 5 projects.
Results
This complex project generates new jobs and supports 13 researchers and 3 technicians, contributing greatly to increasing the operational capacity of two newly created infrastructures and a research institute that could be relaunched; the jobs in the research field supported by the program (ENI) will be:
- 7 researchers and 3 technicians within the Horia Cernescu Research Laboratory Complex;
- 3 researchers at the Center for Cell and Genome Therapies in cancer treatment - Research Infrastructure of the Pius Brînzeu Emergency Clinical Hospital Timişoara;
- 1 researcher within the Institute of Research and Development for Meadows (I.C.D.P.) Braşov, to try to stop the decline and revival this research unit.
- 2 researchers at West University of Timisoara
Basically, from all 13 researchers, 10 will be employed in newly created infrastructures and one (1) in a research institute in the field of agriculture, a research unit with a real possibility of relaunching (P4 - ICDP Brasov an institution that recently collaborated with IC -USAB in the human resources area - POSDOC researchers of USAB being employed within the partnership).
The work carried out by the 68 persons (16 new employees and 52 existing) from five institutions in a relatively short time: before the completion of the required 18 months, 5 patent applications will be finalized and will be filed at a national level, one of which, will be forwarded internationally as follows:
- Antimicrobial strategies to combat resistant germs;
- Model of in vivo study of resistance to antimicrobial agents;
- Methodology for approaching infections in livestock - the SCC methodology;
- Active complex in potentiating the antimicrobial effect;
- Software package containing network analysis tools.
