New publication in Environmental Science & Technology investigates fate of antimicrobial peptides in wastewater

The presence of human-derived antibiotics in the environment can contribute to the emergence and spread of antibiotic resistance. As a promising alternative to conventional small-molecule antibiotics, antimicrobial peptides have gained a lot of recent attention due to their tendency for a slower resistance evolution.

This study, led by Michael Zumstein and Natalie Wichmann from EDGE, investigated the fate of ten antimicrobial peptides in wastewater, with a focus on early treatment stages and extracellular processes therein. Using high-resolution mass spectrometry, the researchers found varying biotransformation kinetics for the different tested antimicrobial peptides and highly conserved peptidase specificities across different wastewater treatment samples. The insights can be used in the selection and design of novel peptide-based antibiotics and pharmaceuticals that are rapidly degradable in wastewater to reduce the release of such chemicals into the environment. 

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