An official website of the United States government.
This project is an investigation into the occurrence and antimicrobial resistance patterns of Campylobacter, Salmonella and E. coli in retail turkey and veal in three southwestern Ontario counties. Samples will be purchased at predetermined intervals from retail outlets according to a defined sampling frame and protocol. Isolates will be cultured and serotyped (Salmonella) according to standard methodology and tested for antimicrobial resistance using the E-test (Campylobacter) and Sensititre (Salmonella and E. coli) systems.
Expected Impact of Project Outcomes on Food Safety in Ontario: The results of this study will contribute to the maintenance of Ontario's standards of food safety and preservation of public health by:
<ul>
<li>Providing preliminary Ontario-based prevalence data - for use in risk assessments and the development of on-farm HACCP- based programs.
<li>Improving knowledge of the potential transmission of antimicrobial resistant strains of Campylobacter, Salmonella and E. coli via the food chain.
<li>Providing a basis for further initiatives including investigations into the association between on-farm antimicrobial use and the occurrence of antimicrobial resistant bacteria contaminating retail turkey and veal and the development of an active surveillance system for antimicrobial resistant food-borne pathogens in Canada. </ul><P> For more information, please visit the <a href="http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/research/foodsafety/index.html" target="_blank">Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food & Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) Food Safety Research Program</a>.