Global Distribution and Epigenetic Stratification of Antimicrobial Resistance

Christopher Mason of Weill Medical College of Cornell University in the U.S. will generate a global map of antimicrobial resistance by using biochemical and computational methods on available samples taken monthly over one year from 24 developed and developing cities across six continents. Each city will be sampled from both high-density (e.g. train stations) and low-density (e.g. parks) areas. They will sequence DNA isolated from two samples per area from each city to identify the bacterial species present and determine whether they carry any antimicrobial resistance genes or markers, or chemically modified DNA bases (epigenetic modifications) that may influence microbial function. The results will then be geographically mapped, and analyzed for associations with population density and proximity to health centers.