Location: Genetics and Sustainable Agriculture Research
Project Number: 6064-21600-001-007-S
Project Type: Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Jun 1, 2023
End Date: May 31, 2028
Objective:
1. Refine methods to identify individuals in wildlife populations and quantify the antibiotic resistant genes present, as well as fecal indicator and pathogenic antimicrobial resistant bacteria, from non-invasive fecal samples and dung beetles.
2. Assess potential of wildlife populations to spread pathogenic salmonella in the southeastern U.S. using spatially-explicit population models simultaneously estimating species density and space use and deriving density weighted connectivity.
Approach:
For the Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement (NACA), we propose to hire a full-time Research Technician to work with co-PIs to further investigate the potential of a single species, most likely wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo), in the spread of Salmonella and antimicrobial resistant bacteria in agricultural settings. We will consider species ecology and life history traits to develop a greater understanding of the species potential role in transmission and generate predictions of where transmission is most like to occur via that species. We will attempt to validate predictions with soil sampling and test a novel method for detection of antibiotic resistance genes (DNA extraction from dung beetles in the environment).
