D. G. Joakim Larsson

D. G. Joakim Larsson | JRNLClub

Research Statement

AI generated · Oct 25, 2026

D. G. Joakim Larsson's research centers on how pharmaceutical manufacturing and environmental pollution drive antibiotic resistance. His most-cited first-author work, antibiotic resistance in the environment, synthesizes pathways by which resistant bacteria and resistance genes move through ecosystems, while his 2007 study documenting extremely high pharmaceutical levels in effluent from drug manufacturers established industrial discharge as a major, under-recognized contamination source. As senior author, he has also examined environmental factors shaping the development and spread of antibiotic resistance and proposed concentration limits for antibiotics in the environment intended to curb selection for resistant bacteria. Beyond these, Larsson contributed to global surveillance of antimicrobial resistance using metagenomic analysis of urban sewage and to management options for reducing antibiotic and resistance-gene release into the environment. His team also developed BacMet, a database of antibacterial biocide and metal resistance genes, and used it to reveal co-selection potential among resistance genes for antibiotics, biocides and metals. Collaborators on this line of work include Johan Bengtsson-Palme. Across these outputs, his contribution traces a consistent arc: from identifying pollution sources, to quantifying resistance risks, to building the tools and regulatory frameworks needed to limit environmental selection for resistance.

Most Cited Works

Antibiotic resistance in the environment

D G Joakim Larsson, Carl-Fredrik Flach

Nature Reviews Microbiology2021

3,144Citations

Effluent from drug manufactures contains extremely high levels of pharmaceuticals

D G Joakim Larsson, Cecilia de Pedro, Nicklas Paxeus

Journal of Hazardous Materials2007

1,615Citations

Research Areas

Pharmaceutical and Antibiotic EnvironmenAntibiotic Resistance in BacteriaAntibiotic Use and ResistanceEnvironmental Toxicology and EcotoxicoloEffects and risks of endocrine disruptin

Affiliations & Education

Education

2001–2003
Goteborgs Universitet(SE)
Post-doc · Dept. Physiology and Pharmacology
2000–2001
University of Texas at Austin(US)
Post-doc · Marine Science Inst
1996–2000
Goteborgs Universitet(SE)
PhD student · Zoophysiology
1994–1995
Memorial University Ocean Science Centre(CA)
Guest Research
1989–1993
Goteborgs Universitet(SE)

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D. G. Joakim Larsson

Sources

Research Statement

Most Cited Works

Antibiotic resistance in the environment

Effluent from drug manufactures contains extremely high levels of pharmaceuticals

Research Areas

Affiliations & Education

Education

Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products in the Environment: What Are the Big Questions?

Global monitoring of antimicrobial resistance based on metagenomics analyses of urban sewage

Environmental factors influencing the development and spread of antibiotic resistance

Employment