Enhancing Food Testing Capabilities at the WVDA through Discipline A: Microbiology Analytical Track 5: Microbiology Capability / Capacity Development

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Laboratory Flexible Funding Model FY2020-2021 West Virginia Department of Agriculture Proposal PAR-20-105: LFFM (U19) Clinical Trials Not Allowed Discipline A: Microbiology Analytical Track 4: Whole Genome Sequencing Abstract: Whole genome sequencing is a laboratory procedure that determines the order of bases (A, T, G, and C) in the genome of an organism in one process. Small pieces of DNA tags, or bar codes, are added to the DNA to identify which piece of sheared DNA belongs to which bacteria. The bar-coded DNA from multiple bacteria are combined and put in the whole genome sequencer. The sequencer identifies the bases that make up each bacterial sequence and uses the bar code to keep track of which bases belong to which bacteria. Computer analysis tools can be used to compare bacterial sequences and identify differences. The number of differences can illustrate how closely related the bacteria are, and how likely it is that they are part of the same outbreak. Whole genome sequencing is a fast and affordable way to obtain high-level information about the bacteria using just one test. Adding this level of technology within the Microbiology laboratory at West Virginia Department of Agriculture will allow the department to obtain bacterial genomic data in a real-time setting and assist in faster outbreak detection on a global scale. The purpose of Discipline A: Microbiology; Analytical Track 4: Whole Genome Sequencing is to enhance the GenomeTrakr network within the West Virginia Department of Agriculture Regulatory and Environmental Affairs Division by capturing the current and evolving genomic diversity of non-clinical pathogens across FDA- relevant areas in human or animal food, environmental, and water samples. The sequencing data generated through this analytical track will be housed in public databases at the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) and will be accessed by researchers and public health officials for real time comparison and analysis that will positively impact foodborne illness outbreak investigations and reduce foodborne illnesses and death.