Antibiotic Resistance Surveillance in Retail Food Specimens in Texas and Oklahoma

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Antibiotic Resistance Surveillance in Retail Food Specimens in Texas and Oklahoma Project Summary The National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System (NARMS), a surveillance system established in 1996, tracks antibiotic resistance in enteric bacteria from humans, retail meats, and food animals, and its different programs on emerging bacterial resistance promote and protect public health. The goal of this study is to determine the prevalence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) among Salmonella, Campylobacter, E. coli and Enterococcus isolated from retail samples of chicken, turkey, beef and pork and from Enterococcus, Vibrio, Aeromonas and lactose fermenting bacteria from seafood purchased from grocery stores in Texas and Oklahoma using standardized methods so comparisons can be made to other national locations participating in the NARMS food surveillance program. Achieving this goal will contribute to our understanding of the burden and magnitude of antibiotic resistant bacteria in retail meat, poultry and seafood products distributed and sold to consumers in this region that comprises approximately 10% of the population of the United States. Specifically, the results of this project will provide the FDA-CVM with isolates and sequencing data (whole genome sequencing) from important public health enteric bacteria, helping to conduct informed risk assessments on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in animal products. During each year of the Cooperative Agreement, the Texas Tech University food microbiology laboratory will obtain food samples as follows: 120 bone-in, skin-on chicken, 120 ground turkey, 120 ground beef, 120 ground pork or pork chops, 24 shrimp, 36 salmon, and 36 tilapia, all produced under either conventional, organic or natural production systems. Samples will be collected monthly within 400 miles (6-hour drive) of Lubbock, Texas, including small metro, urban, suburban and rural cities and towns as well as large, medium and small grocery stores, supermarkets, and independent grocers throughout the region that will add representativeness to the diverse sampling region. Collected samples will be processed using approved FDA-NARMS protocols for bacterial detection, and isolates will be shipped monthly to FDA-CVM for AMR testing, while sequencing data will be used for further analysis and molecular determination of antimicrobial resistance. The results of this project will improve and increase educational activities and knowledge on antibiotic resistance as well as improve laboratory capacity on testing methodologies and protocols used by government laboratories.