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Dynamics of drug resistance in environmental bacteria within an aquatic ecosystem.
(2023) Chukwu, Kelechi Benedict.; Akebe, Luther King Abia.; Essack, Sabiha Yusuf.
Recently there has been a rapid increase in the incidence and prevalence of drug-resistant bacteria and antimicrobial resistance genes in the environment, largely attributed to selection pressure from the environmental presence of antimicrobials such as antibiotics, biocides, and heavy metals, as well as other physicochemical stressors. such as Poly aromatic hydrocarbons, pH, temperature, and reactive oxygen. However, the concentrations at which these antimicrobials could elicit resistance are poorly understood. Such lack of information could hamper the development of standards for the environmental surveillance of antmicrobials with potential adverse effects on human, animal and environmental health.
In this study, Water samples were collected from all the points that impact the environment directly around the Darvill wastewater treatment plant, namely the treatment plant effluent discharge point, the upstream and downstream from the effluent discharge point.
Antibiotics, heavy metals, and biocides were identified and quantified from the water samples, and we ascertained the effect of environmental concentrations of some of these selected stressors on the antibiotic resistance in previously susceptible Escherichia coli.
Heavy metals concentrations were determined using the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) method 200.7. Biocide and antibiotic residue concentrations were determined using validated ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry-based methods. E. coli was identified and quantified using the Colilert-18TM system from IDEXX, while antimicrobial susceptibility was performed using the disc diffusion method according to the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute guidelines.
The concentration of antibiotics observed ranged from sulfamethoxazole (286.180 μg/L) to penicillin (2.2 μg/L); for metals, sodium (27.734 mg/L) to iron (0.001 mg/L); and for biocides, benzalkonium chloride (BAC) 12 (7.805 μg/L) to BenthEZ (0.035 μg/L). There was observed increase in the pollutant concentrations in the effluent and downstream samples compared to the upstream samples, suggesting that the WWTP might be a potential source of interest, indicating that these pollutants, were not completely removed at the WWTP.
Thirty days' exposure of wholly susceptible E. coli ATCC 25922 strains, to environmental and sub-inhibitory concentrations of oxytetracycline, amoxicillin, zinc, copper, BAC 12 and DADMAC 10 was conducted but could not trigger phenotypic resistance. Genotypic analysis of the WGS on the exposed isolates, found only the macrolide resistance mdf (A) gene (which was also present in the control) and the disinfectant resistance gene sitABCD. With further analysis for single nucleotide variants (SNV), mutations were detected for 19 genes compared to the control. Only one resistance gene was detected, robA, a member of the ArcC/XylS family, that regulates the ArcAB-TolC multi-drug efflux, that contributes to multi-drug resistance. The other 18 genes we detected were tolerance conferring genes, acnB, cusA, degQ, epmA, hsmP, mlc, purH, queG, srlE, tsaB, yddh and yqhH genes, in all the exposed isolates. filA genes in only the oxytetracycline and BAC 12-exposed isolates, mutM gene in zinc exposed isolates, nudK gene in all the exposed isolates except the DADMAC 10 exposed isolates, ptsG gene in only the oxytetracycline-exposed isolates, and ompD in only DADMAC 12-exposed isolates. All the genes detected in the exposed isolates were also detected in the environmental isolates, except the robA gene. These genes detected encode for oxidative stress, DNA repair, membrane proteins efflux systems, growth and persister formations.
In addition, we observed that the 30-days exposed isolates developed increased tolerance to high (25 x MIC) concentrations of ampicillin by 30 to 50% when compared to unexposed control. BAC 12-exposed isolates had the highest tolerance increase. The increased tolerance seems to emanate from multi gene induced persister cells formations, as well as tolerance gene expressions. The MSW of the exposed isolates to ampicillin and amoxicillin, also slightly increased compared to the control indicating the amplification of persister cells during the 30-day exposure but the MSW remained same to oxytetracycline.
This indicates that exposure to sub-inhibitory concentrations of antibiotics, heavy metals and biocide residues, as observed in the aquatic environment, cannot induce phenotypic resistance but can encode for genes responsible for the development of persistence and tolerance in bacteria, which seems to be the pathway towards eventual antimicrobial resistance in environmental bacteria.
A highly efficient, low-cost, and sustainable method of water purification and desalination using solar-driven interfacial evaporation.
(2024) Nnaeme, Esther Uchechukwu.; Van Zyl, Werner Ewald.; Bissessur, Ajay Bissessur.
Water scarcity has become one of the most daunting global challenges, and as a result, a continuous supply of potable water has become a bane to most societies. Techniques such as distillation and reverse osmosis have been adopted in the production of potable water but these processes are energy-consuming and highly expensive making them less attractive to many households. A viable economical technique is the removal of salt from seawater or brackish water through a solar distiller. This research was based on the design of a low-cost and new improved solar distiller which was made up of a wooden basin and an inclined glass cover. In the basin is contained sea or brackish water and photothermal materials which include recycled materials that act as an insulation material, an evaporation structure, and a solar absorber. These photothermal materials were designed and fabricated to meet with the current state-of-the-art method of evaporation which is solar interfacial evaporation. The fabricated materials were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The solar distiller and photo thermal materials were evaluated for their efficiencies via real-time outdoor experiments using solar energy. The rate of evaporation was calculated, while parameters such as pH, conductivity, Total dissolved solids (TDS) and salinity were analyzed on the freshwater collected and compared with the standard of drinking water by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and South African National Standard (SANS241). Heavy metal concentration in the water samples and remediated water collected were analyzed using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) and compared with the WHO and SANS241 standards as well. The findings could provide adequate and affordable potable water to all households irrespective of societal status and it will reduce the cost of health management, as many diseases associated with consumption of untreated water can be drastically reduced. This is
in-line with South Africa’s National Development Plan (NDP) 2030 and the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The professionalisation of human resource management in South Africa as a strategy to facilitate ethical practice.
(2022) Naidoo, Charuna.; Seedat, Mariam.
Human resource management has made great strides as a profession in South Africa, from its initial function as the payroll department to now being a strategic business partner and confidant to the C-suite. This profession, however, faces its fair share of challenges. In particular, the issue of ethics and lack of professionalism has become a dilemma for the profession, which, together with the absence of statutory professionalisation, has made it increasingly difficult for human resource management professionals to survive this volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) environment within a South African ecosystem. While there is literature confirming that human resource management is in fact a profession, in the absence of statutory professionalization it is essential to explore the experiences and opinions of human resource management professionals who do not belong to a professional body, and to compare these with the views of those who do belong to a professional body, as well as the perceptions of clients of both professionals and non-professionals. In this research the first participant group is called nonprofessional, the second is professionals, and the last are the human resource management clients, without whom this profession would not exist. The framework and analysis that was applied in
this study is a four themed framework used to investigate the participants’ understanding of general human resource management, human resource management ethics and the King Reports (with specific reference to the last King IV Report), human resource management professionalism and lastly human resource management professionalisation. The theoretical and conceptual model is based on a multilayer framework from the field of ethics, the sociology of professions, specifically from Evetts’ contribution on professions, professionalism and professionalisation, and finally, the SABPP Human Resource Competency Model. The data gathered from the in-depth interviews with participants was analysed using thematic analysis which generated the findings in the study. It is argued, based on previous literature and the data emanating from this study, that in
the last two decades human resource management has continued to progress as a profession. There is a relationship between the professional development of human resource management and codes of ethical practice, as statutory professionalisation and ethical practice does affect human resource managements’ professional development. Lastly, this study offers recommendations for statutory professionalisation as a strategy for ethical practice in human resource management in South Africa.
From 12 to 15: girls, boys, gender and sexuality at a high school in the North West Province.
(2023) Rizvi, Rabia Khatoon; Bhana, Deevia
This study examines the construction of gender and sexuality amongst girls and boys between the ages of 12 and 15 at a private school in the North West province of South Africa. It seeks to understand how learners negotiate gender and sexuality at school, and how the school environment and beyond contributes to their construction of gender and sexuality. It also investigates the social processes that promote unequal power relations between boys and girls at school. An ethnographic research method was used to conduct this study and the research instruments were observations, individual interviews and focus group discussions. Participants were selected using a mix of convenience and purposive sampling methods. Many of the participants were boarding learners, which provides a distinct insight into the ways in which the boarding space is a highly generative site for the production of gender and sexuality. A total of 101 learners participated in this study and 69 semi-structured interviews and 16 focus group discussions were conducted with learners across grades 7, 8 and 9. The data were analysed with the theory of social constructionism. The findings show that boys and girls pursue pleasure and desire in a myriad of ways within the school context. They challenge sexual innocence by expressing the types of relationships they would like to enter into and show authority in navigating romantic relationships. They use social media for flirtation and engage in the consumption of pornography. Furthermore, the expansion of sexuality is demonstrated as learners choose to enter into queer relationships. However, this is mitigated by the performance of hegemonic masculinity which places girls in a subordinate position. Girls are slut-shamed for resisting traditional norms of femininity and also experience sexual harassment within the school space. Boys and girls both participate in risky behaviour and there is a culture of silence and complicity that is created around it. Bullying and substance abuse are wielded as opportunities to portray aggressive masculinities and femininities. Girls’ bodies are policed by authority figures and by the boys which restricts their expression of gender and sexuality. This study argues that gender and sexuality are perceived by learners through a binary lens, and that girls largely remain in a subordinate position whilst boys conform to the standards of hegemonic masculinity. It is recommended that platforms need to be created to question these prevailing attitudes and to provide opportunities for boys and girls to explore and alter their traditional beliefs around gender and sexuality.
The geographies of spaces for inclusive education: narratives of teachers in three primary schools in Eswatini.
(2023) Nxumalo, Ceb'sile Phangisile; D’amant, Antoinette
Despite the global shift towards inclusive education, there are still basic tensions, contradictions, and gaps between the design of legislation and the implementation of inclusive, education's objectives in daily school operations. It is uncertain whether Eswatini will continue this tendency of embracing the rhetoric of inclusivity without any real change. Implementing inclusive education policies and transforming schools to make them inclusive is a dynamic and complex process that, not only entails redefining teaching practise, but also necessitates that teachers develop a different sense of themselves as professionals and as individuals, taking into consideration the context in which they work and the power dynamics at play. This study explores the lived experiences of six teachers from three primary schools in urban, semi-urban, and rural Eswatini, as they engage in inclusive education. It also examines how these teachers negotiate and move through the diverse and complex geographies of inclusive education spaces in their schools, while contending with tensions and discrepancies between "real" - action or what is - and the "ideal" - what might be. To understand the daily experiences of teachers in the context of the power-laden spatiality of inclusive education, the use of authentic narratives as a fundamental approach of inquiry focused on listening to and hearing directly from the teachers. By utilizing spatial analysis, we can better understand the forces that shape teachers' perceptions of inclusive education. This research is informed by the idea that teachers are active social constructivists working for the change of classrooms and schools in light of inclusive education and the relationships between space and social practice. Thus, using social constructionism as a theoretical framework, my research enabled me to identify the quality of teachers' experiences with inclusive education, as well as the ways in which power embedded in school geographies mediates the construction of teachers' identities and the narratives that teachers construct to account for their lived experiences. The constructionist framework helps to make sense of the complicated social, historical, and cultural contexts that impact teachers' experiences as they evolve into practitioners who are inclusive. The results of this study show that while teachers face many difficulties, conflicts, contradictions, and complexities; they also have positive and inspirational experiences as they transform to become inclusive practitioners. There is hope for the future of inclusive education because some teachers are starting to re-evaluate how traditional education can address exclusionary practices and take their role as change agents seriously to foster more inclusive and equitable education in classrooms and schools. Others who have not yet personally started to engage with inclusive education at a deep level, are merely presenting a thin veneer of inclusion to satisfy the demands of inclusive education policy expectations. The realization that historically and traditionally dominant unequal relations of power disempower, demoralize, and discourage teachers from challenging existing and institutional structures and practice, embracing transition, and renegotiating their individual and professional identity as teachers for greater inclusive and equitable education; is becoming more and more apparent. This research helped me to understand the diversity within and between individual teachers' classrooms and schools, the multiple realities that have an impact on multiple and intersecting teacher identity construction, and the consequent need to avoid one-dimensional and linear assessments and interpretations of teachers in transition.