The contribution of livestock movements to the spread of antimicrobial resistance in East Africa

Supervisor

Paul Johnson,  (University of Glasgow) 

Gemma Chaters, Lancaster Medical School, (Lancaster University) 

Tiziana Lembo, (University of Glasgow)

Jess Enright, School of Computing Science, (University of Glasgow) 

 

Summary

Food security and national economies in low- and middle-income countries are threatened by antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Nearly 50% of the population of Africa depends directly on agriculture, with over 70% relying on it in some regions. Livestock mobility to access resources (grazing, water, and minerals) is critical to animal survival, yet these movements likely also contribute to the spread of AMR.

The successful EPSRC-funded PhD student will develop new statistical and mathematical methods to model and understand the complex system of livestock movements in traditional livestock production systems of East Africa, and will use bacterial whole-genome sequence data and population genetics modelling to assess the contribution of livestock movements to the spread of AMR. They will also test the transferability and robustness of these models for larger scale inferences. The connections of the supervisory team to national and international agencies will provide a link to decision makers for the practical application of this work.

Applicants should be highly quantitative ecologists or epidemiologists with an interest in deepening their mathematical and statistical skills, or applied statisticians aiming to develop their skills to address practical issues around the control of AMR in natural systems.