The global burden of infectious diseases and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) contributes to millions of deaths per year. Unlike healthcare facilities that have established systematic surveillance and control procedures, the environment, as another major reservoir of pathogens and AMR, is currently lacking such surveillance, making it difficult to control the environmental spread of pathogens and AMR. This presentation will discuss the efforts in determining the transmission of opportunistic pathogens and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) using various sequencing techniques. In addition, the efforts in developing novel ARG detection methods by combing CRISPR with next-generation sequencing will also be discussed. The results of these studies will contribute to the establishment of a comprehensive environmental surveillance network for pathogens and AMR.
Biography:
Yuqing Mao is a PhD candidate in Professor Thanh H. (Helen) Nguyen’s research group. She received her BS in Environmental Engineering from Zhejiang University. She came to UIUC through a 3+2 program in Civil & Environmental Engineering and received her MS. Her research focuses on investigating the spread of pathogens and AMR in the environment, using methods in molecular biology and bioinformatics. Her hobbies include playing the viola, cooking, and studying Chinese Metaphysics.
