Salmonella accounts for an estimated 1.4 million illnesses, resulting in 16,000 hospitalizations and 582 deaths in the United States each year. The incidence of salmonellosis within the U.S. varies from state to state and within states. These variations cannot be explained entirely by differences in population density, cultural/ethnic customs, or food distribution networks. These regional differences in disease incidence are also reflected in Salmonella serovar distribution. We do not know or understand what might explain this geographic distribution of Salmonella infection in the U.S. Part of the answer lies in identifying the role of potential reservoirs such as pet animals. A better understanding of the transmission dynamics of Salmonella in pets will help us understand the role of these unique companions in the distribution dynamics of Salmonella. The University of Georgia, through its ?One Health? initiative, is committed to promoting, training, and conducting research in all areas of animal, human and environmental health. The College of Veterinary Medicine and the State Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory have a duty to the state and to its constituents to not only perform diagnosis but also to monitor trends and report unusual disease presentations or patterns. Our laboratory takes this responsibility very seriously, and over the years our faculty members have published articles with such findings. Moreover, the PI has worked extensively in the study of the chicken gut micro-biome, including the distribution of antimicrobial resistance, and the epidemiology of Salmonella in wildlife and the environment. The objective of this grant application is to enhance the capacity of our laboratory and other to assist with the FDA's ability to monitor disease in pet animals and pet food products. We specifically propose a ?methods comparison? of the newer generation of sequencing platforms by Illumina (Iseq), Oxford Nanopore Technologies (MinION) and SeqStudio (ThermoFisher) to piggyback on the current VET-LIRN Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance project for which we are a source laboratory. Our laboratory has expertise in the areas of pathology, bacteriology, parasitology, virology, serology, and molecular biology, including high throughput platform testing. Our faculty and staff are highly qualified and are devoted to animal and public health. Our commitment is evident in our participation in many programs at the state and national levels. We are one of the core laboratories of the National Animal Health laboratory Network (NAHLN) and participate in all NAHLN surveillance testing. In addition, we are have participated in another cooperative agreement with the FDA assessing the presence of Salmonella in turkey-based pet treats as well as engaging in an epidemiological study looking at the prevalence of Salmonella in dog and cat feces (1U8FD004318-01) and the potential risk factors for Salmonella carriage. Also, 1U18FD004623 completed and currently 1U18FD006157. Therefore, Athens Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory and the PI in this application are uniquely positioned to assist the FDA in meeting the important goals of the project described in this application.
Significance Pets are these days ?members? of the modern family. As such they share intimate contact with the people in the household. Thus, allowing for bacterial and bacterial resistance determinants to pass from our beloved pets to member of the household and vice versa. In addition, feeding our pets has become a commercial enterprise with a proliferation of ?treats? and diet fads such as ?raw diets?. There is more and more competition in this market with the need to obtain basic ingredients from cheaper and cheaper sources. Furthermore, this area of the food market ?not-for human consumption? is not very regulated. Therefore, infectious diseases, antimicrobial resistance, due to deliberate or accidental tampering are becoming more common. Protecting the health of our pets and their human families is an important health issue. We are in a world where health has to be defined; as ?One Health? where people animals and the environment are evaluated together.
