An official website of the United States government.
<ol><li>Evaluate the association between multiple‐drug resistance (MDR) and virulence in E. coli and Salmonella</li>
<li>Evaluate compartment proximity on conjugative frequency</li>
<li>Effect of pH and dissociated organic acids on conjugative frequency</li></ol>
<p>E. coli and Salmonella are a concern to the food production industry. Both possess a combination of antimicrobial resistance and virulence genes that act in concert with undefined host factors, to gain an advantage over beneficial bacteria. In order to understand factors involved in the dissemination of multi‐drug resistance (MDR) among E. coli and Salmonella it is necessary to study the relationship between antimicrobial resistance and disease causing genes, as well as their ability to transfer between bacteria. The relationship of other host factors must also be considered and examined.</p>