SPARE-SEA Project Launches Oysterland Game to Raise Awareness on Antibiotic resistant genes and their impact on environmental and human health

SPARE-SEA, a research project funded as part of the ERA-NET Cofund Aquatic Pollutants has developed a game called Oysterland to raise awareness about the project and its research subject. OysterLand is a unique environment where land meets sea, and people, agriculture, and aquatic animals mix. It is also a location where bacteria are exchanged between land and sea, and everything in between. The SPARE-SEA project is looking at how antibiotic use influences the inhabitants of OysterLand, and specifically, the antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) that are present in this environment.

The project is focused on oysters as they are eaten uncooked, which supports the transmission of live bacteria, and the watery medium of growth assists the transfer of bacteria. The project aims to provide a better understanding of what antibiotic resistance genes exist in the aquatic environments where oysters are cultured, how they may have arrived in this habitat, what the “drivers” are that increase their presence, and what risk this may pose to the environment, including humans.

The researchers are taking a One Health approach that puts the health of animals and humans, and the environment, into the same level of scrutiny. By understanding how antibiotic use influences the inhabitants of OysterLand, we can better protect ourselves and the environment.

To play in Oysterland, download the game here!