Portable DNA Sequencing Device Crucial for Tracking Drug-Resistant Hotspots

New Delhi — A portable DNA sequencing device could become a vital tool for genomic surveillance in identifying antibiotic resistance hotspots in animals and the environment, a new study has found.

In a pilot project, researchers from the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Indonesia’s Ministry of Agriculture, and Arizona State University (ASU), USA, tested the handheld DNA sequencing device to monitor antibiotic resistance at six poultry slaughterhouses.

The team collected samples from wastewater and nearby rivers across Indonesia’s Greater Jakarta region.

Their findings revealed that drug-resistant E. coli — a key marker of antibiotic resistance — from slaughterhouse wastewater may be contaminating nearby rivers. In many instances, higher levels of resistant E. coli were found downstream, suggesting that animal waste could be a source of environmental contamination.

The researchers noted that portable DNA sequencing technology can enhance national surveillance programs by making it easier to identify resistance hotspots. This could enable more targeted and cost-effective interventions to limit the spread of drug-resistant E. coli, which can cause illnesses such as diarrhoea, particularly dangerous for children, the elderly, and immunocompromised individuals.

“In some areas, diarrhoea isn’t just an inconvenience — it can be life-threatening,” said Lee Voth-Gaeddert from ASU’s Biodesign Center for Health Through Microbiomes.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a pressing global health challenge, threatening both human and animal health. In 2021, AMR was linked to 4.71 million deaths, with 1.14 million directly attributed to drug-resistant infections. Projections indicate that by 2050, AMR could be responsible for 8.22 million deaths annually, with 1.91 million directly caused by AMR.

Fast, affordable, and locally accessible tools like portable DNA sequencing devices could significantly advance global efforts to monitor and combat various microbial threats.

Researchers added that this mobile sequencing approach could also be applied to farms, wet markets, or modified to track other pathogens, including avian influenza.

The study was published in the journal Antibiotics.

With inputs from IANS