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<ol><li>To identify sources of foodborne pathogens in the farm-to-table continuum. <li>To study the diversity/clonality of foodborne pathogenic strains. <li>To compare antimicrobial resistance dissemination between niche market and conventional farms. <li>To disseminate research findings to producers and consumers. </ol>
The project involves four phases: 1 )Sample collection from farm, slaughterhouse and retail stores. 2) Phenotypic characterization: Involves bacterial isolation and antimicrobial susceptibility testing. 3) DNA fingerprinting: Involves genetic analysis of strain to determine diversity 4) Information dissemination: Involves extension work to producers and consumers.
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Emergence and dissemination of bacterial foodborne pathogens has been a major concern and has often been implicated as the major driving force for proliferation of foodborne pathogens. Long term goal is to contribute significant and relevant knowledge to the understanding of foodborne bacterial pathogens and to characterize and understand the production, processing, and food preparation and handling factors influencing the emergence, persistance, and dissemination of foodborne pathogens.