Impact of long-term dietary habits on the human gut resistome in the Dutch population.

The human gut microbiome plays a central role in health and disease. Environmental factors, such as lifestyle and diet, are known to shape the gut microbiome as well as the reservoir of resistance genes that these microbes harbour; the resistome. In this study we assessed whether long-term dietary habits within a single geographical region (the Netherlands) impact the human gut resistome.

Riverine microplastic and microbial community compositions: A field study in the Netherlands.

Plastic pollution in aquatic environments, particularly microplastics (<5 mm), is an emerging health threat. The buoyancy, hydrophobic hard surfaces, novel polymer carbon sources and long-distance transport make microplastics a unique substrate for biofilms, potentially harbouring pathogens and enabling antimicrobial resistance (AMR) gene exchange. Microplastic concentrations, their polymer types and the associated microbial communities were determined in paired, contemporaneous samples from the Dutch portion of the river Rhine.

Determinants of presence and removal of antibiotic resistance genes during WWTP treatment: A cross-sectional study.

Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), linking human fecal residues and the environment, are considered as hotspots for the spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). In order to evaluate the role of WWTPs and underlying operational parameters for the removal of AMR, the presence and removal efficiency of a selected set of 6 antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) and 2 mobile genetic elements (MGEs) was evaluated by means of qPCR in influent and effluent samples from 62 Dutch WWTPs. The role of possible factors impacting the concentrations of ARGs and MGEs in the influent and their removal was identified through statistical analysis.

Environmental Surveillance of Zoonotic in the Netherlands.

Tularemia is an emerging zoonosis caused by the Gram-negative bacterium , which is able to infect a range of animal species and humans. Human infections occur through contact with animals, ingestion of food, insect bites or exposure to aerosols or water, and may lead to serious disease. may persist in aquatic reservoirs.

Prevalence and types of Campylobacter on poultry farms and in their direct environment.

To study whether broiler and layer farms contribute to the environmental Campylobacter load, environmental matrices at or close to farms, and caecal material from chickens, were examined. Similarity between Campylobacter from poultry and environment was tested based on species identification and Multilocus Sequence Typing. Campylobacter prevalence in caecal samples was 97% at layer farms (n = 5), and 93% at broiler farms with Campylobacter-positive flocks (n = 2/3).