China/UK/Thailand Program on Poultry Biosafety for Salmonella, E. coli and Campylobacter (CUT-SEC)

世界人口正在增加，特别是在中低收入国家，到2050年，作为一个全球社会，我们必须额外养活20亿人。这一人口爆炸将更加重视肉类生产，特别是家禽。据世界银行估计，到2030年，中国、印度和东南亚将占世界肉类贸易的80%，其中包括国内消费和国际出口。问题是--这将如何实现？家禽养殖业将需要加强以满足这些全球需求，尽管世界当局(世卫组织、粮农组织等)持保留意见，但动物饲料中使用的抗生素消费不可避免地增加了。由于使用不受控制的动物饲料，以及在生长过程或屠宰过程中存在交叉污染的可能性，鸡的AMR流行率比其他动物部门高得多。我们使用抗生素来育肥和增加家禽的生长产量，但这也会在人类病原体中造成严重的抗生素耐药性。抗菌素耐药性(AMR)现在被认为是21世纪人类面临的最大全球威胁。AMR已成为全球卫生问题的焦点，但大多数非专家并不知道AMR将对全球人口产生的影响，以及它将感染治疗带回“黑暗时代”的潜力。到目前为止，世界各地研究AMR影响的大多数研究都是小规模、一维的，而且往往存在偏见--过于集中于AMR细菌，而不是研究整个细菌种群。为了解急性呼吸道感染对家禽行业的影响，我们在泰国北部和中东部的中国(山东)建立了一个网络，并将采取全面的抽样策略，检查农场、环境(水、苍蝇、野鸟)和社区(人类正常菌群)和感染(尿路感染和胃肠炎)中的主要人类食品病原体(弯曲杆菌、沙门氏菌和大肠杆菌)。我们的研究(称为CUT-SEC)有一个全面的采样平台：工作包(WP)1，从孵化到屠宰的鸡和鸭样本；WP2，苍蝇和野鸟；WP3，水样和渗漏；WP4，农场或附近的家畜；WP5正常人类直肠菌群；WP6社区感染。我们将每3个月分析至少70个样本，以检查季节变化和来自泰国北部和山东的样本。将通过基本的微生物学技术对细菌进行分析，并选择对其进行全基因组测序，在那里我们可以询问细菌的整个DNA，并将其与其他细菌进行比较，以确定它们是否从一个部门(例如苍蝇)传播到另一个部门(例如人类)。这项研究还将对人类肠道中的所有细菌进行测序，以了解AMR细菌种群的动态。我们还将在养鸡场进行受控实验，以监测SEC上的传播，并使用数学模型来了解AMR病原体如何在动物中传播及其对人类感染的影响。这次削减SEC的影响将对泰国和中国的动物、人类和经济部门产生巨大影响。我们的网络建立得很好，在泰国和中国有良好的合作记录，并有专业知识来实施这项令人兴奋和具有挑战性的提案。

The world's population is increasing, particularly in low-middle income countries and by 2050 as a global community we will have to feed an additional 2 billion people. This population explosion will place greater emphasis on meat production, particularly poultry. It is estimated by the world bank that by 2030, China, India and SE Asia will supply 80% of the world meat trade which will include national consumption and international export. The question is - how will this be met? Poultry farming will need to intensify to meet these global needs with the inevitable increase in antibiotic consumption used in animal feeds despite reservations from world authorities (WHO, FAO etc.). The AMR prevalence in chicken is considerably higher than other animal sectors due to the use of uncontrolled animal feeds and the potential for cross-contamination, either during growth or at slaughter. We use antibiotics to fatten and increase poultry growth yield yet this too in causing serious antibiotic resistance in human pathogens. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is now deemed to be the biggest global threat facing humanity in the 21C. AMR has taken center stage as a global health issue yet most non-specialists are unaware the impact AMR will have on global populations and the potential it has of taking the treatment of infections back to the "dark ages". Hitherto, most studies around the world studying the impact of AMR have been small, one dimensional and often biased - too focused on AMR bacteria as oppose to studying the whole bacterial population. To understand the impact of AMR in the poultry sector we have established a network in Nth Thailand and mid-Eastern China (Shandong) and will undertake a comprehensive sampling strategy to examine key human food pathogens (Campylobacter, Salmonella and E. coli) in farms, the environment (water, flies, wild-birds) and community (human normal flora) and infections (urinary tract infections and gastroenteritis). Our Study (called CUT-SEC) has a comprehensive sampling platform: work package (WP) 1, chicken and duck sampling from hatcheries to slaughter; WP2, flies and wild birds; WP3, water samples and seepage; WP4, domestic animals on or near farms; WP5 Normal human rectal flora; WP6 community infections. We will analyze at least 70 samples every 3 months to examine seasonal variation and sample from Nth Thailand and Shandong. Bacteria will be analyzed by basic microbiology techniques and selected to be whole genome sequenced where we can interrogate the bacteria's whole DNA and compare it to other bacteria to see if they have spread from one sector (e.g. flies) to another (e.g. humans). This study will also sequence all the bacteria in the human gut to understand the dynamics of AMR bacterial populations. We will also undertake controlled experiments in chicken farms to monitor the spread on SEC and use mathematical models to understand how AMR pathogens spread in animals and their impact on human infections. The impact of this CUT-SEC will have immense consequences for the animal, human and economic sectors in Thailand and China. Our network is well established, has a proven track record of working together in Thailand and China and expertise to undertake this exciting and challenging proposal.