Workshop: African Perspectives on AMR Surveillance and Wastewater Management

This workshop is organised by JPIAMR in collaboration with the South African Medical Research Council.

The main goals of the workshop are:
-To showcase African wastewater surveillance research with focus on prevention and spread of pathogens and AMR.
-To share existing knowledge and experiences between researchers in Europe and Africa.
-To increase awareness of current wastewater monitoring programs and build networks for future research in wastewater-based surveillance.

Program and content

Moderator: Dr. Roelof Coertze, Gothenburg University, Sweden

Welcome remarks and introduction by Richard Gordon, S A Medical Research Council.

Session 1: Antimicrobial resistance risk assessment in water

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in drinking water and risk assessment. Carlos Bezuidenhout, North-West University, South Africa.
The environmental dimension of antimicrobial resistance: the need for environmental surveillance. William Gaze, University of Exeter, European Centre for Environment and Human Health, UK.
AMR in food and animals – moving to wastewater monitoring of AMR. Karl Pederson, National Veterinary Institute, Sweden.

Session 2: Pathogen surveillance in wastewater

-Towards wastewater-based AMR research: building on the SAMRC SARS-CoV-2 RNA surveillance and research programme. Renee Street, South African Medical Research Council, South Africa.
-SARS-CoV-2 wastewater surveillance in Germany: Long-term PCR monitoring and comparison of primer/probe systems. Claudia Stange, TZW: DVGW-Technologiezentrum Wasser, German Water Center, Germany.
-Detection of Salmonella Typhi and SARS-CoV-2 in urban river systems in Malawi. Kayla Barnes, Broad Institute and Harvard School of Public Health, USA.
-Thwart the dissemination of antimicrobial resistance in Tunisia: Major challenges to overcome and awareness of stakeholders. Wejdene Mansour, Université de Sousse, Tunisia