Grantee Research Project Results

Environmental Antibiotics in Chesapeake Bay Tributaries

EPA Grant Number: U915541
Title: Environmental Antibiotics in Chesapeake Bay Tributaries
Investigators: Huff, Thomas B.
Institution: George Mason University
EPA Project Officer: Packard, Benjamin H
Project Period: August 1, 1999 through August 1, 2002
Project Amount: $88,236
RFA: STAR Graduate Fellowships (1999) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Fellowship - Aquatic Ecology and Ecosystems , Academic Fellowships

Objective:

Environmental antibiotics could be affecting the ecology of the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries. The objective of this research project is to determine the presence and concentration of antibiotics in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

Approach:

This research project involves the development of methods for determining antibiotic concentrations in surface waters and sediment. It coincides with a microbial study, wherein native bacteria will be extracted from sediments and tested for resistance or sensitivity to the antibiotics that have been approved for agricultural use. The resistance study will help target specific antibiotics for method development.

Data derived from the research, as well as analytical detection methods developed by the investigator, will help to determine the presence and concentration of antibiotics in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, which affect the ecology of the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries.

Supplemental Keywords:

fellowship, veterinary pharmaceuticals, environmental antibiotics, microbial resistance, water quality, animal feedlot operations, Chesapeake Bay., RFA, Scientific Discipline, Water, POLLUTANTS/TOXICS, Watersheds, Environmental Chemistry, Analytical Chemistry, Water & Watershed, Ecology and Ecosystems, Water Pollutants, water quality, watershed assessment, soil water chemistry, antibiotic resistance analysis, ecological research, microbial pathogens, agricultural watershed, aquatic ecosystems, Chesapeake Bay tributaries

Progress and Final Reports:

The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.