In response to the growing threat posed by increasing microbial resistance to antimicrobial agents, the World Health Organization has developed the “One Health” concept, which recognizes the interconnectedness of human, animal, and environmental health. The BALTIC-AMR project aims to develop a rational, transnational strategy for countries surrounding the Baltic Sea, enabling a comprehensive analysis of and response to the growing phenomenon of resistance to antibacterial compounds.
The present study focuses on the isolation of bacterial strains that are resistant to β-lactam antibiotics and carbapenems from sewage samples (raw and treated) as well as from seawater collected in coastal areas of the Baltic Sea in Poland. Sampling was conducted every two weeks during 2024 and 2025. Strains were isolated using the membrane filtration method and cultured on CHROMagar™ ESBL and mSuperCARBA™ media. Biochemical identification of the isolates was performed using the VITEK 2 automated system (bioMérieux).
In total, 98 strains were analyzed, including 53 that were resistant to cefotaxime and 45 that were resistant to meropenem. The majority of isolates belonged to the genus Pseudomonas (23%), Escherichia coli (20%), and the Enterobacter cloacae complex (18%). The remaining isolates were identified as Klebsiella pneumoniae subsp. pneumoniae, Citrobacter freundii, Citrobacter braakii, Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, and several other species, including Serratia fonticola, Hafnia alvei, and Aeromonas sobria. In the next stage of the study, whole-genome sequencing of the bacterial isolates will be performed to further characterize their antimicrobial resistance profiles. Overall, these findings highlight the environmental dissemination of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria and underscore the importance of integrated surveillance within the One Health framework.
Project No. 2023/05/Y/NZ9/00169 funded by the National Science Centre in cooperation with the JPIAMR network - Joint Programming Initiative on Antimicrobial Resistance.
