About me:

Dr Lihong Zhang is a microbiologist focusing on bacterial pathogens and antibiotic resistance genes in polluted environments, particularly the correlation between these and human health.

One of Dr Zhang’s major research foci is considering antibiotic resistant gene flow via mobile genetic elements, specifically among indigenous environments, animals, humans and micro-organisms.

Another of his research objectives is to quantify the prevalence and diversity of pathogens in polluted systems. This area uses molecular and cellular techniques and looks at bacterial and viral pathogens in human polluted aquatic and terrestrial environments.

Dr Zhang works with Dr William Gaze in collaboration with scientists within the UK, China, Canada and the EU.

Current research areas include:

• Identifying novel antibiotic resistance genes from environmental metogenomic libraries
• Characterising novel antibiotic resistance genes in term of activity, structure and origin
• Identify, quantify and characterise mobile genetic elements responsible for spreading antibiotics/biocides resistance in bacteria in clinic setting and in environments such as class 1 integron, transposons and plasmids
• Investigating selection, co-selection and cross-selection for antibiotic resistance genes by different antibiotics, by disinfectants and by heavy metals
• Impact of use of animal growth promoter antibiotics on prevalence and diversity of antibiotic resistance bacteria in animal farm environment
• Impact of climate change on survival, prevalence and diversity of fecal bacteria and antibiotic resistance bacterial pathogens in coastal waters

Interests:

Medical and environmental bacteriology

Molecular microbiology

Bacterial antimicrobial resistance

Microbial Ecology

Microbial evolutionary biology

Immunity and infection

Qualifications:

PhD in molecular biology; MSc in microbial ecology; BSc in microbiology