Team explores drug resistance in Himalayan field trip

A team of researchers conducted an interdisciplinary high-altitude field study in the Everest region of Nepal, combining DNA sampling and social science methods to investigate antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in Yak milk and the farming practices that influence it.

The team trekked through the Himalayas reaching elevations near 4,000 metres, collecting milk samples and qualitative data in the form of interviews with local community members and field ethnographies. 

The milk samples are being analysed to explore the presence of antimicrobial resistance genes, while interviews and ethnographic data are being examined to understand key drivers of AMR. 

The results will allow researchers to consider how antimicrobial resistance is driven within high altitude bovine species in Nepal and identify optimal husbandry practices to minimise future AMR evolution and transmission. 

This interdisciplinary pilot study combines microbiology, social and veterinary sciences to examine the scientific and social dimensions of AMR in high-altitude livestock systems.  

By studying biological and social data, the research team aims to link biological findings with husbandry practices and environmental context.  

Researchers from the Division of Global Agriculture and Food Systems of the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, the Roslin Institute, and Nepal’s Research Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology (RIBB) collected milk samples at the government-managed Yak Genetic Resource Centre in Syangboche, Eastern Nepal.  

The team also took additional samples from cows and cow–Yak hybrids during the team’s descent into lower altitude regions.  

Although full genetic testing of the milk was not completed on-site, the fieldwork served as a valuable test of the feasibility of high-altitude AMR surveillance under resource-limited conditions, researchers explain.

Alongside DNA sampling, qualitative methods such as interviews and observations with local farmers rearing Yak and cow-Yak hybrids, known as chauri, were central to the study.  

This interdisciplinary approach will be used to contextualise laboratory findings and identify potential behavioural and social drivers of AMR. 

“Yak and hybrid farming practices in this region of Nepal are gold standard in terms of promoting animal welfare, biosecurity and One Health,” said Dr Mitchell. “These species hold a vast cultural importance in the region, and animals are cared for under traditional systems, with antimicrobial use only occurring in response to disease or infected injuries and via consultation with veterinary professionals. We did not find evidence of antimicrobial use as prophylaxis or growth promotion; these practices are recognised globally as key drivers of AMR and are particularly common in Nepal’s lowland agricultural systems.”  

Larger-scale DNA sampling, improved field sequencing methods and further interviews are planned, building on the lessons learned in this pilot study. 

This fieldwork was funded by the University of Edinburgh International Partnership Award, and DNA samples were collected in collaboration with the Khumbu Pasanglhamu Rural Municipality office.