Continue the NARMS retail food surveillance in the state of California

Project Summary/Abstract Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a significant threat to public health in the U.S. and globally. This project will continue the National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System (NARMS) Retail Food Surveillance in the state of California. The project’s goal of protecting public health will be achieved by undertaking the following specific aims and activities. First, we will continue to monitor the trends in AMR among different pathogens in retail foods in California. We will collect retail meat and seafood samples monthly from randomly selected grocery stores. We will isolate Salmonella, Campylobacter, E. coli and Enterococcus from meat samples and Vibrio, Aeromonas and Enterococcus from seafood samples. Bacterial isolates will be sent to FDA for antimicrobial susceptibility test (AST) and other analyses. We will perform whole genome sequencing (WGS) on Salmonella, Campylobacter, and E. coli from meat samples and Vibrio and Aeromonas from seafood samples and submit sequences to NCBI. Second, we will conduct research to better understand AMR in retail foods. We will conduct appropriate epidemiological and statistical analyses to characterize phenotypic and genotypic resistance of different bacteria species in different types of meat and seafood, and associations with seasons and years, locations, and claims of organic production and antibiotic use. Results of the research will help to improve our understanding of emergence, persistence and spread of AMR in and beyond retail foods. Third, we will disseminate information about AMR to stakeholders and the public. We will develop lay publications, outreach materials, abstracts and posters, and peer-reviewed publications. We will disseminate findings to agriculture and aquaculture communities, research communities, veterinarians, and the public via presentations at seminars, meetings and conferences and publications in proceedings and peer-reviewed journals. These outreach activities will help to disseminate AMR information to stakeholders and the public and increase public awareness of AMR in retail foods. Finally, we will participate in NARMS retail foods conference calls, retail meat meetings and working groups. By accomplishing these specific aims and activities, the project will continue to monitor the trends in AMR in retail foods in the state of California and contribute to the national NARMS Now: Integrated Data. Therefore, the project will enhance NARMS Retail Food Surveillance and increase public awareness of AMR in retail foods. The project will also strengthen collaborations between federal agencies and universities on surveillance, research, and detection of foodborne antibiotic-resistant bacteria. 1