With the support of funding from the USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture, a collaborative effort among scientists from land-grant universities has been underway since 2017 to address the intricate challenge of antimicrobial resistance in agriculture.
The team’s research efforts have shed light on the characteristics of antimicrobial-resistant microbes and resistance genes, providing crucial insights for risk estimation and mitigation. The team has also developed tools for faster detection of antimicrobial resistance, including improved data standardization, sharing among veterinary diagnostic laboratories, and a rapid test for bovine respiratory disease, which supports judicious antimicrobial use by farmers and veterinarians.
Additionally, the team has devised strategies to reduce antimicrobial use, drug resistance development and human exposure to resistant microbes. Their extensive outreach and education initiatives have significantly increased awareness of antimicrobial resistance issues and potential solutions among scientists, farmers, veterinarians, communities, policymakers and students. The team has actively shared their findings through various channels, including online courses, websites, experiential learning, videos and the iAMResponsible program, which offers science-based information and decision-support tools related to antimicrobial resistance.
