Combating the Transmission of Antibiotic Resistance Through the Global Food Chain

NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY: Antibiotic resistance transmission through the food chain is a global food safety and public health challenge. As a consequence of globalization, the difference in agriculture standards and practices among countries will have an impact on the safety and quality of imported foods, and thus affect consumers in the U.S. To achieve the goal of minimizing antibiotic resistance (AR) transmission through the global food chain, improving the safety of global food supplies, and enhancing the U.S. leadership in the global market, we propose (1) to build an internationally recognized food safety research and education program by collaborating with South China University of Technology, (2) to organize an international food safety conference in China, with the focus on AR associated with the food chain, and (3) to develop a bi-lingual educational TV program on enhancing safe agricultural practices to combat AR transmission, to be broadcasted in US and China. The proposed activities target the global food safety and public health challenge that demands international attention and collaboration, and directly address the priorities of the USDA ISE program by strengthening the global competence of faculty and students from OSU in the areas of agriculture and food safety through international collaborative research, education and outreach, preparing future leaders and work force, and facilitating commercialization of OSU technology. Successful accomplishment of the proposed activities will have a long-term impact on global food safety and public health.

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APPROACH: 1.To build an internationally recognized food safety research and education program, four graduate students, two from OSU and two from SCUT will conduct a two-year collaborative research project assessing the prevalence of antibiotic resistant bacteria in retail foods (including seafood, meat, poultry, dairy and produce) and in agriculture and aquaculture farms in Guangzhou, China, as part of their graduate dissertation requirements. The PI and the students from OSU will spend 2 months of the first year conducting a field study in Guangzhou, China. The PI will give lectures at SCUT on Microbial Detection, Microbial Ecosystem Analysis, and Antibiotic Resistance in the Food Chain, as part of the SCUT graduate credit course and the SCUT workshop. The PI will provide training at SCUT using the OSU detection technology. The group will compile and publish the research data, and assess the correlation among antibiotic usage in local farms and the AR profiles in resistant bacteria from the farm environment and the local retail markets. <P>
2. We will organize an international food safety conference in China, with the focus on combating AR transmission through the food chain, in 2010. A conference steering committee including representatives from both US (OSU, USDA and other institutes) and China (from SCUT, CDC and other institutes) will be in charge of conference organization including inviting food safety experts from academia, federal and state agencies, as well as business leaders from both US and China as speakers. The conference will be publicized in US, China, Southeast Asia and Japan to enhance scientific collaboration in controlling AR transmission among these countries. The steering committee will write a summary report with suggestions on future research and practical control strategies to both USDA and Chinese Ministry of Agriculture. <P>3. A bi-lingual educational TV program, focusing on enhancing safe agricultural practices to combat AR transmission through the global food chain will be produced and broadcasted in both US and China through collaboration with the Communication Unit at the College of Food, Agriculture and Environmental Sciences at OSU, and the PBS-WOSU TV station (see attached letter of support from WOSU), SCUT and local TV education channels in China.