USDA funds antimicrobial resistance dashboard research

Development of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) dashboards are underway thanks to $3.2 million awarded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) to nine partners, including several universities.

These dashboards are intended to aid APHIS in tracking AMR patterns and detect emerging resistance profiles, according to a July 12 announcement. The initiative is expected to provide insights into the relationships between antibiotic use and animal health management practices related to antimicrobial resistance.

"Addressing AMR is important to APHIS, along with the agricultural and public health sectors, because antimicrobials are some of our most critical tools for treating serious infections and saving the lives of people and animals. Taking a One Health approach to tackling complex human and animal health challenges such as this is imperative," the agency said in the announcement.

Institutions awarded APHIS grants are the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture, Cornell University, Iowa State University, the University of Florida, North Carolina State University, Texas Tech University, the University of Illinois, the University of Missouri, and the University of Washington.

All antimicrobial resistance dashboards developed with this funding are required to include data protections, the agency said.

Once created, APHIS will use the dashboards to monitor trends in antimicrobial resistance patterns, detect emerging resistance profiles, and better understand relationships between antimicrobial use, animal health management practices, and antimicrobial resistance.

These public-private partnerships will improve access to information on antimicrobial resistance in domesticated animals, including livestock, poultry, and companion animals. They will focus on the following:

• Developing antimicrobial resistance dashboards to securely track the emergence and spread of antimicrobial resistant microbes in domesticated animals.
• Identifying and developing methods for protecting data confidentiality with these dashboards.
• Identifying data user needs and preferences for antimicrobial resistance dashboards.
• Exploring aspects of data management for antimicrobial resistance dashboards.

Congress provided funding to APHIS to carry out this project as part of USDA's fiscal year 2021 and 2023 appropriations.

A version of this story appears in the October 2023 print issue of JAVMA