Developing a multidisciplinary approach to address the problem of environmental antibiotic pollution surrounding aquaculture farms in Bangladesh

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the greatest threats to human health. In order to overcome this complex challenge we require cross-disciplinary, multi-faceted, international approaches.  Bangladesh is one of many low and middle income countries (LMICs) where antibiotics are freely available off the shelf.  Although regulations on antibiotic usage are in place, they are infrequently applied or monitored, and as a consequence antibiotics are used widely and indiscriminately.  Untreated waste from humans, animals, hospitals and pharmaceutical companies is often directly released into the aquatic environment, leading to high levels of antibiotic pollution.  The funding will serve to hold an initial scoping workshop to bring together new research collaborations from across the GW4 institutions and initiate an international partnership with Khulna University in Bangladesh.  The aim is to develop a new multidisciplinary team, with the main aim of discussing and developing innovative approaches to identify and raise awareness of the drivers and impacts of environmental antibiotic pollution from a social, scientific and political perspective in the areas surrounding Bangladesh aquaculture farms, as millions of lives depend on this industry, and production is heavily reliant on good quality water sources.