NARMS Cooperative Agreement Program to Strengthen Antibiotic Resistance Surveillance in Retail Food Specimens

Project Summary:
The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) has been working with the Minnesota
Department of Health (MDH), CDC, and FDA on the Retail Food Study since its
inception in 2002. This project was designed to determine the prevalence of
antimicrobial resistance among enteric pathogens found in retail meats (including
chicken, pork, ground beef, and ground turkey). In Minnesota, MDA and MDH are
culturing all meats for Salmonella and chicken and ground turkey for Campylobacter. All
isolates are further characterized by MDA or MDH and sent on to FDA for further
analysis (including culture confirmation, antimicrobial susceptibility testing, and
molecular subtyping). From 2015-2019, a total of 80 meat samples per month were
tested (including pork and beef). Among the samples, all 80 were tested for Salmonella,
all 20 turkey samples and 20 (half) of the chicken samples were tested for
Campylobacter. Starting in 2020 the sample total dropped back to 40 per month and the
pilot seafood study was initiated. In Minnesota, in 2019, 63 of 480 (13.1%) chicken
samples, 35 of 240 (14.6%) ground turkey samples, 15 of 120 (12.5%) pork samples,
and 1 of 120 (0.8%) ground beef samples tested positive for Salmonella. Also, in
Minnesota in 2019, 45 of 480 (9.4%) chicken samples and 2 of 240 (0.8%) ground
turkey samples tested positive for Campylobacter. MDA and MDH plan to continue our
cooperative arrangement. We will continue collect samples from the seven-county
Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area, which comprises over half of Minnesota’s
population. We will also collect from rural areas starting in 2021. This study has
contributed substantial data to our understanding of the species, serotypes, and
antimicrobial resistance types of Campylobacter and Salmonella found in various retail
meats. This data has been beneficial in guiding our outbreak investigations where
meats may have been the source of infection in humans. We have encountered very
few barriers or challenges in our experience with this study and feel it has been a
valuable tool, adding a critical component to the picture of antimicrobial resistance in
Minnesota.