The Role of Hospital and Municipal Wastewater

PROJECT TYPE:

• Institutional Research Project

PROJECT DURATION:

• 1 October 2025 – 30 September 2029

PROJECT LEADER AND TEAM MEMBERS:

Project Leader:

• Assoc. Prof. Dr. Emina Pustijanac

Collaborators:

• Faculty of Natural Sciences, Pula:
  • Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ines Kovačić
  • Dr. Moira Buršić
• Teaching Institute of Public Health of the Istrian County:
  • Mr. Sc. Lorena Lazarić Stefanović, MD, Lecturer
  • Vesna Kauzlarić, MSc Biol. Eng.
  • Dr. Ozren Grozdanić
• General Hospital Pula:
  • Martina Močenić, Lecturer
• Vodovod Pula-Labin d.o.o.:
  • Katja Milohanović, MSc Chem.

SHORT PROJECT DESCRIPTION:

The moREzist project aims to investigate the transmission of multidrug-resistant bacterial strains from hospital and municipal wastewater into the marine environment, with a focus on the identification and monitoring of antimicrobial-resistant microorganisms. The project examines the role of sewage discharges in the transfer, retention, and spread of these microorganisms in marine ecosystems.

The research is based on an interdisciplinary approach that combines microbiological, physico-chemical, and molecular analyses of clinical, wastewater, and environmental samples (seawater and sediment). The objective is to detect and compare genotypes and phenotypes of antimicrobial resistance and to identify periods of increased microbial load. Additionally, the study will assess the similarity of bacterial strains found in hospital and environmental samples.

Sampling will include hospital patients, wastewater before and after treatment, and seawater and sediment collected at two sites representing different wastewater systems: one hospital-associated and one reference site with lower anthropogenic impact.

PROJECT OBJECTIVES:

The main objective of the moREzist project is to comprehensively investigate the transmission and spread of antimicrobial-resistant microorganisms from hospital clinical samples, as well as hospital and municipal wastewater, into the marine environment. The research aims to improve understanding of the environmental and public health risks associated with antimicrobial resistance and to support the development of effective control and mitigation measures.

PROJECT HOLDER: Juraj Dobrila University of Pula