The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is investing more than $5 million in an effort to address antimicrobial resistance within the food supply chain. A total of nine projects are being supported through this round of funding from USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). The investment is part of NIFA’s Agriculture and Food Research Initiative’s Mitigating Antimicrobial Resistance across the Food Chain grant program.
The program is meant to support integrated research, education, and Extension projects. Some of the research areas include risk assessments, advancing the understanding of emerging resistant pathogens, antibiotic management and stewardship, and controlling disease with antimicrobial alternatives. NIFA’s latest investments are in line with the federal strategy detailed in the Combating Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria National Action Plan 2020-2025.
Some of the funded projects include the assessment of antibiotic resistance in fresh vegetables from farm to fork, as well as antimicrobial resistance in small ruminant agro-systems. Scientists at the University of Florida will be using a $299,999 investment to assess the impact of antibiotics on the frequency of antimicrobial resistance and determine the effects of probiotic supplementation on plant health and resistance.
Researchers from Iowa State University will be involved in multiple projects funded by the program. One project includes the modeling of bacteria movement through different environments as a route for moving from animal and human waste to plant crops. That project is being supported by a $1 million investment. Other projects include improving veterinary training to help prevent antimicrobial resistance and developing a conference to foster learning and sharing of approaches among stakeholders.
Ohio State University also has multiple projects that are being supported by the NIFA investment. A total of $999,938 will be used to better understand the movement of auctioned male calves through the market and evaluate the use of antimicrobial drugs to prevent and treat disease. Another project looks at the environmental sources and genetic basis of antifungal resistant Aspergillus fumigatus. That project is being supported by a $942,756 investment.
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