Vet-LIRN Network Capacity-Building Project: Bacterial Whole Genome Sequencing

Summary/Abstract: The need to increase Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) to provide antibiotic resistance genotypic testing in laboratory networks for emerging antibiotic resistance pathogens is critical for the current One Health Concept. Antimicrobial resistance is a constant and growing threat to human and animal health. WGS is one of the recent and more powerful tools to study and monitor the development and progression of the emergence of antibiotic-resistant pathogens. Also, WGS provides real-time sequence data used to build public genomic databases that aid in identifying the genetic characterization of foodborne bacterial pathogens, isolates from clinical specimens, and investigation of outbreaks in health care facilities and to provide information for infection control practices. The continued investment in new technologies such as WGS is crucial for supporting an expanding testing volume while sustaining rapid detection and public health response. Sequencing has also been shown to be an excellent utility for epidemiological investigations of foodborne disease outbreaks, for establishing antimicrobial-resistant dashboards, and for use by clinicians for making the best treatment decisions. The Louisiana Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory (LADDL) serves as a whole genome sequencing (WGS) laboratory for the Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM) Vet-LIRN Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory Program. LADDL is one of five laboratories originally selected by Vet-LIRN to participate in a pilot project using WGS to monitor antimicrobial resistance in zoonotic and emerging pathogens. Long term goals of this proposal are to add whole genomic sequence genomic data from bacterial isolates originating from animal clinical specimens or animal feed bacterial isolates to National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System and to develop a rapid response network for accurate resolution of putative animal foodborne disease outbreaks. The project has three specific aims. First, to provide the funding required for continuation of Vet- LIRN’s pilot Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) and Sequencing Project. The primary cost of the project is for purchasing supplies and reagents and for payment of equipment maintenance contracts. Second, to perform WGS on isolates submitted by the Vet-LIRN source labs as genomic information for identifying antimicrobial-resistant bacteria or pathogens related to surveillance or disease outbreaks. Finally, to populate and contribute sequence data to the national databases to aid in the genomic and biomedical information needed to track bacterial pathogens of interest to the CVM and U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).