Establishment and Development:
Environmental health laboratory was born from a shared vision and passion for environmental pollution and human health. Recognizing the need for antibiotic pollution and antibiotic-resistant bacteria, our founders decided to establish a laboratory dedicated to prevent and control the antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The journey of our team began with the research on environment and human health and we have been engaged in research on antibiotics and the spread of ARB in the environment since 2009 and we have led more than 20 projects, including the National Natural Science Foundation Program of China. With a small but dedicated team, we set out to establish a research laboratory that would be recognized for its excellence and impact. Since its inception, our team has gone through a remarkable journey of growth and development. We have expanded our team to include multiple doctoral and master's students who are proficient in laboratory related skills. Our research has focuses on the research on the transmission characteristics and diffusion patterns of antibiotics and antibiotic-resistant bacteria/genes. Additionally, we have forged valuable collaborations and partnerships with Peking University, China CDC, Oxford University in the UK, Uppsala University in Sweden, Karolinska School of Medicine to further enhance our research capabilities.
Team Members:
Our team is composed of professors, associate professors, and lecturers who have been engaged in research on antibiotic-resistant bacteria for a long time and more than 10 doctoral and master's students who are proficient in experimental skills related to antibiotic resistant bacteria such as screening of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, identification of strains, phenotype analysis, plasmid transformation and conjugation transfer experiments, SHIME model experiments and proficient in using statistical analysis tools such as SAS, SPSS, and R,. Together, they work tirelessly to the fields of aquaculture environment, planting environment, and hospital environment, conducting research on the transmission characteristics and diffusion patterns of antibiotics and antibiotic-resistant bacteria/genes, comprehensively analyzing the development laws and transmission drivers of bacterial resistance, and providing theoretical basis and technical support for the prevention and control of bacterial resistance in agricultural and medical environments. we have been engaged in research on antibiotics and the spread of ARB in the environment since 2009 and we have led more than 20 projects, including the National Natural Science Foundation Program of China. In 2016, the first "One Health" research queue for antibiotic-resistant bacteria in China was established in Yi’shui, Shandong Province, China. It provides long-term real-time tracking of the evolution of bacterial resistance and provides a more reliable theoretical basis for the field of bacterial resistance evolution and prevention and control
Research Areas:
specializes in research on antibiotics and the spread of ARB in the environment since 2009. Based on the "One Health" concept, we have implemented antibiotic resistance control strategies in animal husbandry areas, ensuring the sustainable development of intensive vegetable areas from the perspective of antibiotic residue and antibiotic resistant bacterial prevention and control. We have conducted traceability analysis and prevention technologies for antibiotic resistant bacterial infections in hospitals, focusing on antibiotic reduction and antibiotic resistant bacterial transmission prevention and control technologies.
Research Achievements:
We have made significant contributions in establishing the first "One Health" research queue for antibiotic-resistant bacteria in Yishui in 2016, Shandong Province, China. The evolution of bacterial resistance was tracked in real-time for a long time. In 2018, the first designated hospital in our province built a resource library of drug-resistant bacterial strains for daily infections. More than 10000 serious threat drug-resistant strains, including animal and clinical sources of Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, have been preserved. In recent years, our team has published international journal papers such as Water Research, Science of The Total Environment, and Environmental Pollution in the fields of aquaculture environment, planting environment, and hospital environment. Multiple papers have been selected as highly cited papers in ESI (top 1%). Through conducting research on the transmission characteristics and diffusion patterns of antibiotics and resistant bacteria/resistant genes, we comprehensively analyze the development patterns and driving forces of bacterial resistance, Provide theoretical basis and technical support for the prevention and control of bacterial resistance in agricultural and medical environments.
Main Publications:
1. Zou H, Zhou Z, Berglund B, Zheng B, Meng M, Zhao L, Zhang H, Wang Z, Wu T, Li Q, Li X. Persistent transmission of carbapenem-resistant, hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae between a hospital and urban aquatic environments. Water Res. 2023 Aug 15;242:120263. doi: 10.1016/j.watres.2023.120263. Epub 2023 Jun 22. PMID: 37390655.
2. Zou H, Han J, Zhao L, Wang D, Guan Y, Wu T, Hou X, Han H, Li X. The shared NDM-positive strains in the hospital and connecting aquatic environments. Sci Total Environ. 2023 Feb 20;860:160404. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.160404. Epub 2022 Nov 22. PMID: 36427732.
3. Wang D, Berglund B, Li Q, Shangguan X, Li J, Liu F, Yao F, Li X. Transmission of clones of carbapenem-resistant Escherichia coli between a hospital and an urban wastewater treatment plant. Environ Pollut. 2023 Nov 1;336:122455. doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2023.122455. Epub 2023 Aug 24. PMID: 37633440.
4. Li Q, Zou H, Wang D, Zhao L, Meng M, Wang Z, Wu T, Wang S, Li X. Tracking spatio-temporal distribution and transmission of antibiotic resistance in aquatic environments by using ESBL-producing Escherichia coli as an indicator. J Environ Manage. 2023 Oct 15;344:118534. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.118534. Epub 2023 Jun 30. PMID: 37393874.
5. Gu C, Li X, Zou H, Zhao L, Meng C, Yang C, Hui Zhang, Berglund B. Clonal and plasmid-mediated dissemination of environmental carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae in large animal breeding areas in northern China. Environ Pollut. 2022 Mar 15;297:118800. doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2022.118800. Epub 2022 Jan 7. PMID: 35007671.
6. Hanna N, Sun P, Sun Q, Li X, Yang X, Ji X, Zou H, Ottoson J, Nilsson LE, Berglund B, Dyar OJ, Tamhankar AJ, Stålsby Lundborg C. Presence of antibiotic residues in various environmental compartments of Shandong province in eastern China: Its potential for resistance development and ecological and human risk. Environ Int. 2018 May;114:131-142. doi: 10.1016/j.envint.2018.02.003. Epub 2018 Mar 2. PMID: 29501851.
7. Ji X, Zheng B, Berglund B, Zou H, Sun Q, Chi X, Ottoson J, Li X, Lundborg CS, Nilsson LE. Dissemination of extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli carrying mcr-1 among multiple environmental sources in rural China and associated risk to human health. Environ Pollut. 2019 Aug;251:619-627. doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2019.05.002. Epub 2019 May 7. PMID: 31108295.
8. Zou H, Berglund B, Xu H, Chi X, Zhao Q, Zhou Z, Xia H, Li X, Zheng B. Genetic characterization and virulence of a carbapenem-resistant Raoultella ornithinolytica isolated from well water carrying a novel megaplasmid containing blaNDM-1. Environ Pollut. 2020 May;260:114041. doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2020.114041. Epub 2020 Jan 22. PMID: 32006889.
9. Sun P, Bi Z, Nilsson M, Zheng B, Berglund B, Stålsby Lundborg C, Börjesson S, Li X, Chen B, Yin H, Nilsson LE. Occurrence of blaKPC-2, blaCTX-M, and mcr-1 in Enterobacteriaceae from Well Water in Rural China. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2017 Mar 24;61(4):e02569-16. doi: 10.1128/AAC.02569-16. PMID: 28115344; PMCID: PMC5365680.
10. Zhao Q, Berglund B, Zou H, Zhou Z, Xia H, Zhao L, Nilsson LE, Li X. Dissemination of blaNDM-5 via IncX3 plasmids in carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae among humans and in the environment in an intensive vegetable cultivation area in eastern China. Environ Pollut. 2021 Jan 2;273:116370. doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2020.116370. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 33460870.
Facilities & Resources:
Our state-of-the-art facilities and cutting-edge technology enable us to conduct research that is both rigorous and innovative. The Analysis and Testing Center of Shandong University is an open unit for analysis, testing, and quality evaluation, which has been certified by the National Bureau of Technical Supervision and approved by the Ministry of Health. It has numerous experts with high professional level and supporting instruments such as SHIME simulation equipment required for research projects.The State Key Laboratory of Microbiology Technology of Shandong University has built many research platforms for bacteriology, infection microecology, genomics, bioinformatics, proteomics, etc. It is a research support system with international standards, and has the instruments and equipment required for genomics and proteomics research. All of the above provide comprehensive and scientific support and guarantee conditions for future research plans.
Collaborations & Partnerships:
We believe in the power of collaboration. That's why we have forged partnerships with Peking University, Zhejiang University, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China Center for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as Oxford University, Uppsala University, Sweden and Karolinska Medical College to further advance our research.
Recreational Activities:
We will hold academic seminars every week, record 10000 steps of exercise check-in every day, gathering of team members during holidays, organizing mountaineering activities, regularly go to various places for sampling and learning, and participating in various academic conferences.
Other Features:
The team conducts research on the transmission characteristics and diffusion patterns of antibiotics and antibiotic-resistant bacteria/genes, comprehensively analyzing the development patterns and transmission drivers of bacterial resistance. In 2016, the first One Health research queue for antibiotic-resistant bacteria was established in China, and in 2018, the first designated hospital in our province established a resource library of antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains for daily infections of drug-resistant pathogenic bacteria.
Contact:
For more information or inquiries, please contact us by visiting our website at https://faculty.sdu.edu.cn/lixuewen/en/index.htm or mailing to:lxw@sdu.edu.cn.
