National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System using Retail Meat for Louisiana

NARMS Cooperative Agreement Program to Enhance and Strengthen Antibiotic Resistance Surveillance in Retail Food Specimens Agency Funding Opportunity Number: PA-20-124Louisiana7/1/2020-6/30/2021AbstractThis project will involve the successful completion of the purchasing, processing, andtesting of 48 meat and seafood samples per month. ID Epi will identify, collect andprocess samples within the FDA's and NARMS time constraints. Three persons from IDEpi are dedicated to timely collections and submissions.The increase in and improved analysis of antimicrobial resistance data specific toLouisiana, will be scrutinized for trends and relationships, used to better inform theagency and the public, and studied to develop policies for mitigation and/or prevention.These activities will demonstrate the importance of the state health department inprotecting and improving the public's health.The addition of additional target organisms and improvement of laboratory techniques,such as the extension of whole genome sequencing to additional organisms, will permithigher quality information and increased ability to identify related cases or outbreaks inthe past, at present, and in the future. The program will facilitate coordination with FDAand other agencies in investigations of outbreaks. The program will also provide qualityretail meat and seafood surveillance data the FDA NARMS program can use in additionto other states' data. This increase in quality data can be used to influence policyregarding antimicrobial use, resistance and trends in resistance.