Image: Dhrati Patangia
Dr Dhrati Patangia, from the Teagasc Food Research Centre, discusses the value of research into antimicrobial resistance and why it’s a growing threat.
The overuse of antibiotic and antifungal treatments in recent years has led to a rise in antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and the emergence of superbugs such as MRSA that are resistant to many different types of antibiotics. There is a worry that new strains of bacteria will emerge than can’t be treated by any existing antibiotics. As such, this has become an important area of research.
With a keen interest in micro-organisms, Dr Dhrati Patangia completed a master’s degree in biotechnology and bioinformatics, with a dissertation focusing on the gut microbiota in pregnancy and early life.
She was well placed to go on to complete a PhD in the APC Microbiome Ireland Research Centre at University College Cork. The Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) research centre focuses on “understanding the gastrointestinal bacterial community and harnessing the power of the microbiome (or microbiota) for the health and wellbeing of people and the planet”.
Here, Patangia tells us about her PhD research and her current postdoctoral work on antimicrobial resistance.
Tell us about your current research.
I was selected for the inaugural APC Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) postgraduate programme, which was a fellowship specifically to study antibiotic resistance.
When I started, I was new to many techniques including shotgun sequencing and analysis. Our research group has a very collaborative environment, which gave me the confidence that I could learn new things and was able to apply those to my projects.
My PhD project involved studying the effect of single and chronic antibiotic use on the microbiome in milk and in the gut, both in single-point and longitudinal settings.
Based on two of our studies examining the early-life microbiome and antibiotic resistance, we show that use of antibiotics in very early life can lead to a build-up of multiple drug resistance genes in the infant gut microbiome. This is of importance as antibiotic resistance is a global threat. Antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) can be transferred through horizontal transfer, and antibiotic-resistant strains can lead to the formation of multidrug-resistant strains and cause complications for the use of antibiotic treatments in later life.
Currently, I’m a postdoctoral researcher in the Stanton lab at Teagasc Moorepark where I completed my PhD. I’m continuing my research into the development of the microbiome in early life.
In your opinion, why is your research important?
While antibiotics provide lifesaving benefits, they come at the cost of antibiotic resistance and cause collateral damage to microbiota composition and diversity.
According to the World Health Organization, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the top global public health and development threats. It is estimated that bacterial AMR was directly responsible for 1.27m deaths globally in 2019 and contributed to 4.95m deaths.
My research focuses on examining the microbiome and resistome [antibiotic resistance genes] profile in early human life and lactating cows. I hope that our research will further spread the message about the importance of using antibiotics cautiously.
What inspired you to become a researcher?
I had always possessed an affinity for micro-organisms, but just studying micro-organisms was not enough. I always wanted to know why they exist in such large numbers.
The major push for me was when my microbiology professor asked us to make a magazine on any topic of our choice; I focused on the microbiome and realised it was my true passion.
This led to my choice of microbiome research as the subject for my dissertation and I started looking for a PhD in the same field.
I applied and was accepted for the APC Microbiome Ireland SFI Research Centre Antimicrobial resistance fellowship programme. This was ideal for me as APC is well known internationally for its scientific excellence.
What are some of the biggest challenges or misconceptions you face as a researcher in your field?
One of the biggest challenges, I believe, in the field of microbiome sciences is that of causation and correlation. While associations between microbiome composition and certain health conditions are identified, it is challenging to determine whether changes in the microbiome cause these conditions or are a consequence of them.
Another challenge, especially pertaining to the early life microbiome, is that very early life samples are low biomass and can be difficult to treat and recover DNA from.
Effectively communicating complex microbiome research findings to the public and policymakers is essential and also challenging at the same time. Misconceptions can stem misinformation.
Do you think public engagement with science and data has changed in recent years?
Yes, especially when the pandemic hit the world, people became more cautious about their lifestyle and dietary habits.
The pandemic also highlighted the importance of scientific research and its impact on public health. This has led to an increased awareness and interest among the public to understand scientific concepts. It sparked the interest for people to understand their body better.
With Covid-19, all public engagement activities were moved online like most other things, so social media has played an increasingly crucial role in disseminating scientific information to the public. Platforms like Twitter, Facebook and Instagram have become indispensable to share information, engage with the public and address misconceptions directly.
How do you encourage engagement with your own work?
We always aim to publish our work open access so that it can reach as many people as possible.
I make a concerted effort to participate in many conferences annually to present my work to new audiences, this allows me to share me research and get feedback from others.
APC encourages all researchers to participate in public engagement activities – this is an important way for us to disseminate knowledge about our research to the public.
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