Antimicrobial Resistance Profiles in the Irrigation System of Kittitas Valley, WA Cruz Veronica Guillen Mejia * Project Mentor(s) : Holly Pinkart, PhD The World Health Organization claims antimicrobial resistance is a critical public health threat, not only has AMR created a socioeconomic burden, but its rapid global spread impacts human, animal, and environmental health. AMR is a microorganism’s ability to mutate to resist the effects of antimicrobial drug such as antibiotics, antifungals, and antivirals, driven by selective pressures in the environment. This project focuses on antibiotic resistance profiles of bacteria from the irrigation system distributed across Kittitas Valley, WA. The canals provide water for livestock, agriculture, and are accessible to humans, making the irrigation canals a possible conduit for AMR transmission. Water samples were collected monthly from 11 collection sites throughout the 2024 and 2025 irrigation seasons. Bacteria from the water samples were isolated and tested for antibiotic resistance to 10 antibiotics from major antibiotic classes such as penicillins, cephalosporins, fluoroquinolones, aminoglycosides, tetracyclines, sulfonamides, and nitrofurans. Bacterial isolates resistant to three or more antibiotics were identified using diagnostic biochemical test panels that identified their morphological and physiological characteristics. Results show that there was a significant decrease in the number of antibiotic- resistant isolates from 2024 to 2025, with major resistance spikes in May 2024 and July 2024. The three most common bacteria genera found were Escherichia, Serratia, and Comamonas . In collaboration with the University of Washington’s Center for One Health Research, the data produced will be entered into the Washington Integrated Surveillance for Antimicrobial Resistance (WISAR). This collaboration will Examining SSRI-Dependent Withdrawal Behavior in Caenorhabditis elegans Eduard Hanin * Project Mentor(s): Lucinda Carnell, PhD Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are used to increase synaptic serotonin levels supporting the serotonin hypothesis of depression, which proposes that a lower level of synaptic serotonin is a primary cause of depression. SSRIs are a class of antidepressants that are commonly prescribed to treat major depressive disorder (MDD), anxiety, OCD, and other conditions. Upon discontinuation of these medications, people experience withdrawal symptoms such as anxiety, insomnia, and electric shock sensations, but little is known about the cellular mechanisms that cause these effects. To study the cellular mechanisms of withdrawal from SSRIs, the free-living soil nematode Caenorhabditis elegans will be used. C. elegans is used to study the genetic basis of behaviors due to its ability to be easily genetically modified and has many conserved genes for nervous system function. The genes coding for serotonin receptor proteins, ser-1 and ser-7 , which are part of the egg-laying circuit in hermaphrodite C. elegans , are well-characterized and their cellular signaling mechanism has been described (Olson et al., 2023). The acute (short-term), chronic (long-term), and withdrawal behavioral responses of C. elegans exposed to serotonin have been studied and described (Carnell et al., 2005). To study the acute, chronic, and withdrawal behavioral responses from exposure to SSRIs, adult C. elegans will be treated with several commonly prescribed SSRIs, followed by treatment removal to measure withdrawal. The behavioral response of egg-laying will be used to quantify the effects of the SSRIs being studied, with eggs being counted after 60, 90, and 120 minutes of exposure. Presentation Type: Oral Presentation (May 20, 9:30am–5:00pm) Keywords: Antidepressants, SSRIs, Withdrawal, Serotonin hypothesis of depression SOURCE Form ID: 139 improve initiatives towards monitoring and controlling AMR statewide. Presentation Type: Poster Presentation (May 21, 9:30am–3:00pm) Keywords: Antimicrobial resistance, Kittitas Valley, Bacteria SOURCE Form ID: 201
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