Date of Submission

Spring 2020

Academic Program

Biology; Global Public Health

Project Advisor 1

Bruce Robertson

Project Advisor 2

Gabriel Perron

Abstract/Artist's Statement

Antibiotic resistance is hazardous to humans, as can be seen in the increased prevalence of multidrug resistant infections. While antibiotic resistance is often studied in regards to humans, it can also be found in the wild. Antibiotic resistant genes are introduced to waterways and other environments through sewage and wastewater treatment plants. These genes can be transmitted to animals, which can further spread the genes elsewhere. One mode of transmission that has not been studied is the spread of antibiotic resistant genes by wild birds at bird feeders. While antibiotic resistant genes have been found in bacteria in birds around the world, the focus has generally been on domesticated birds. In my study, I examined the presence and abundance of the Class 1 Integron-Integrase gene at bird feeders on Bard campus as a marker for antibiotic resistance. Focusing on winter resident birds, I looked at how the abundance of the Class 1 Integron-Integrase gene at the bird feeders changes over time. As I was unable to run data due to the Covid-19 pandemic, I generated predictions and created graphs of possible results of this study.

Open Access Agreement

On-Campus only

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

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