Antimicrobial resistance as a nexus between teaching and research

Research and education are two areas often compartmentalised or separated by an abyss, linked in this study by a service-learning methodology, the Small World Initiative project. The programme instruction starts at the university, reaches secondary school and returns to university to complete the research, challenging young students to discover novel bioactive-producing microorganisms from environmental soil samples. In this study, 13 soil samples were analysed and 260 bacterial isolates were recovered. Ten of them were selected as potential producers of antimicrobial molecules (AP(+)), obtained from six soil samples. Antibiosis tests revealed that three isolates produced antimicrobial molecules, with inhibitory activity against 90% of the tested indicator bacteria, including relevant pathogens. Regarding antibiotic susceptibility, 4 of 10 AP(+) bacterial isolates were susceptible for all tested antibiotics, five were resistant to at least one antibiotic and one showed a multidrug resistance phenotype, showing students the importance of searching for new antimicrobial agents and the risk of antibiotic resistance. To test the impact of the project, satisfaction surveys and knowledge and attitudes questionnaires about microorganisms and antibiotics were carried out, acquiring satisfactory results. Therefore, a connecting loop has been formed between teaching and research, promoting scientific vocations and communicating scientific culture through a focus on antimicrobial resistance.