Location: Poultry Microbiological Safety and Processing Research Unit
Project Number: 6040-32000-079-010-I
Project Type: Interagency Reimbursable Agreement
Start Date: Dec 15, 2021
End Date: Sep 30, 2022
Objective:
The purpose of this agreement is to complete Phase 1 of the three phase NARMS Pilot Environmental Monitoring effort. ARS leads culture method development. This includes finalizing method development to standardize analytical approaches (sample collection and filtration) and culture methods for analyzing Salmonella and E. coli with antimicrobial resistance in environmental surface water samples and conducting a field assessment with a limited number of samples to test the developed methods and help finalize the design of the watershed scale study of Phase 2 (EPA lead). ARS will work in collaboration with NARMS partners FDA and EPA as part of the FY22 methods assessment portion of Phase 1. Development of standardized methods for the analysis of antimicrobial resistant bacterial isolates and antibiotic resistance genes and field collection of surface water samples through the NARMS Environmental Surface Water Programs contributes to accomplishment of the following goals of the NARMS strategic plan including:
1. Implement geographically representative monitoring including surface waters to establish baseline AMR data in aquatic ecosystems.
2. Conduct research to understand concomitant adaptive microbial features that might contribute to the persistence and spread of resistance (e.g., colonization, stress tolerance) under different selection pressures (e.g., heavy metals, antiseptics, etc.).
3. Conduct studies to determine the burden and impact of antimicrobial resistance on human, animal, and environmental health.
Approach:
FDA and ARS jointly agree to develop and evaluate methods for the detection (and/or quantification) of AMR in enteric bacteria in water, for the purpose of monitoring selected antibiotic resistance phenotypes and genotypes. These data will advance the NARMS environmental monitoring program objectives by compiling and developing standardized protocols for detection of Salmonella, E. coli and Enterococci from one litter and ten litter volumes of water.
