Enhance the surveillance of foodborne bacterial pathogens isolated from food and environmental samples using whole genome sequencing (WGS) to prevent foodborne outbreaks and promote public health

Summary: OverallSince 2016, North Carolina State University (NCSU) has helped expand the GenomeTrakr program on a nationaland global scale to target some of the leading causes of foodborne illnesses worldwide. The need for surveillanceof foodborne pathogens is urgent because despite advances in hygiene, food and water quality and pathogendetection, foodborne illnesses remain a tremendous burden for public health. The environment and food productssuch as retail meats are implicated as sources of foodborne pathogens, and establishing standardizedsurveillance of these sources can help monitor key pathogens and trace contamination routes to prevent andcontrol outbreaks. To date, NCSU GenomeTrakr laboratories have generated 3,328 whole genomesequencing (WGS) profiles of bacterial pathogens isolated from multiple sources. This includes profilesof 1,127 bacterial isolates from 9 countries outside the US over the last three years. They have also trained 23students and professionals from 10 countries, which has led to 11 original publications of GenomeTrakrprogram data in peer-reviewed journals coauthored by the investigators and their US and internationaltrainees. Since 2016, the investigators have worked to expand their global network to now include 13 countriesspanning three continents. Consequently, the overarching aim of this project is to continue enhancing WGS-based surveillance of bacterial pathogens associated with foodborne illness at the national and global level usinga One Health approach. This will be achieved through surveillance activities, partnership building and trainingstudents and professionals. The investigators will leverage their extensive leadership experience in surveillanceprotocols, advanced molecular techniques and data analysis, and their status as a WHO Collaborating Centerfor AMR and One Health to build capacity in the US and globally through world-class training for students andprofessionals. To achieve this, they will pursue the following specific aims. Aim 1 (Project): Expand the existingsurveillance system of bacterial pathogens related to foodborne illness that have been isolated from food andenvironmental sources in the US and international locations. Aim 2 (Project): Compare WGS profiles of bacterialpathogens isolated from national and international samples to advance outbreak investigations and trackemerging strains of public health importance. This work will be supported by two aims of the Administrative Core:Aim 1 (Admin): Provide leadership to complete the proposed aims in collaboration with national andinternational institutions. Aim 2 (Admin): Provide a framework to educate and equip the future surveillanceworkforce with the knowledge and skills needed for WGS analysis. Expected Outcomes: The investigators arecommitted to fulfilling the GenomeTrakr mission and expanding standardized surveillance systems across theglobe. By characterizing 400 new isolates from US and international sources from new and existing collaborators,and by building capacity worldwide, this work will help public health agencies track the emergence of new strains,curb the distribution of foodborne pathogens and reduce the burden of foodborne illnesses in the US and globally.