Parc Taulí, a pioneer in the monitoring of antimicrobial-resistant genes and bacteria in Sabadell's wastewater

• A collaborative project promoted by I3PT, Aigües Sabadell, Cetaqua-Centre Tecnològic de l'Aigua and Labaqua has analyzed the presence of antimicrobial resistance genes and multi-resistant bacteria at various points in the Sabadell wastewater drainage network, identifying key areas for action.

For years, antibiotic resistance has represented a major threat to global public health. The excessive and inappropriate use of these medications has led to the emergence of pathogenic bacteria capable of resisting conventional treatments., making it difficult to treat numerous common infections.

Wastewater can act as reservoirs for these microorganismsAlthough these are treated in Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTPs), the purification processes are not optimized for the complete elimination of this type of compounds and, consequently, they can reach natural ecosystems such as rivers and seas.

Faced with this challenge, the Parc Taulí Research and Innovation Institute (I3PT), Aigües Sabadell, Cetaqua-Water Technology Center and Labaqua jointly promoted in 2022 the GAUSS project, aiming to to know the prevalence of bacteria and antibiotic resistance genes in key points of the Sabadell sanitation network, as well as the city's two wastewater treatment plants, managed by Aigües Sabadell.

Hospital effluent, the main source of antibiotic resistance

With the help of advanced genomic sequencing techniques, the project team analyzed different critical points in the city's wastewater network and collected representative samples from various urban areas, such as the hospital sector, several residential neighborhoods and an industrial area.

The results, published in Science of The Total Environment (STOTEN), have revealed that Hospital effluent is the one that presents the highest concentrations of bacteria and antimicrobial resistance genes, which makes it the main focus of dissemination. Likewise, some residential neighborhoods of the city have also been identified as possible reservoirs of these agents, demonstrating their presence in the urban environment.

Researchers have also confirmed that The wastewater treatment plant under study during the GAUSS project manages to reduce the presence of bacteria and resistance genes (ARBs and ARGs) by up to 93,3%.

LIFE GENESYS, a European project to eliminate resistant bacteria and genes from hospital effluents

Currently, Spanish hospitals and healthcare centers are not required to treat their wastewater before dumping it into the sewer.In this context, it is born LIFE GENESYS, a European project that aims to anticipate future legislation and validate new advanced technologies capable of neutralizing these harmful agents in hospital effluents before they reach the sewer and treatment plants.

This collaborative project, coordinated by Cetaqua-Centre Tecnològic de l'Aigua and in which Aigües Sabadell, Apria Systems, Labaqua, the Parc Taulí University Hospital and the I3PT participate, takes advantage of the knowledge acquired at GAUSS and proposes a decentralized solution for the treatment of hospital effluents with a high concentration of genes and bacteria resistant to antimicrobials and recalcitrant drugs.

With this aim, it is will design and implement an innovative and unique wastewater treatment system in Spain at the effluent outlet of the Parc Taulí University Hospital, as well as a resistance risk preventive digital warning platform with data collected from the city's sanitation network.

This solution will contribute to the objectives of the EU One-Health Action Plan against Antimicrobial Resistance and supports the European Commission's new Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive.