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Strengthen Antibiotic Resistance Surveillance in Retail Food Specimens in Kansas as a Part of the National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System

Objective

Project Summary
Strengthen Antibiotic Resistance Surveillance in Retail Food Specimens in
Kansas as a Part of the National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System
As a key activity in combating bacterial antimicrobial resistance (AMR), the
National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System (NARMS) since 1996 monitors
AMR in foodborne pathogens and indicator bacterial species in food-animals at the time
of their processing; in red meat, poultry, and since 2020 also in seafood products sold to
the general public in retail; and in human foodborne infections. The program monitoring
AMR in retail food is led and managed by the Food and Drug Administration – Center
for Veterinary Medicine (FDA-CVM). The food sample collection and microbiologic
analysis are performed by the program sites in individual states. The site in Kansas was
established in 2016, and the site-team has performed the NARMS Retail Food
Surveillance programmatic activities of collecting and subjecting to microbiologic
analysis samples of food retailed in Kansas. One of the major innovations in the
program in recent years has been addition of whole genome sequencing and annotation
of the bacterial isolates obtained from retail food samples. This new project will enable
the Kansas site-team to continue the prior programmatic activities in Kansas, with the
addition of a routine whole genome sequencing and annotation of bacterial isolates
obtained from food samples collected in retail stores in Kansas. The bacterial isolates,
and their epidemiologic and genomic data will be shared with the Kansas Department of
Health and Environment. The Department will use these surveillance data and materials
to advance public health in the state and inform program and policy development. The
results will be also used to educate about and raise public awareness of AMR. The
isolates, and their epidemiologic and genomic data will be delivered to the NARMS
Retail Food Surveillance program on the required schedule. The program team will use
these data and materials to enhance AMR surveillance and foodborne outbreak
analysis, and enable program and policy development at the national level. Therefore,
this project will strengthen AMR surveillance and analysis, support foodborne outbreak
investigation, inform antimicrobial drug stewardship, and promote public health in
Kansas and nation-wide.

Investigators
Palinski, Rachel, Nagaraja, Tiruvoor G
Institution
Kansas State University
Start date
2020
End date
2025
Project number
5U01FD007132-02
Commodities