FDA CVM VET-LRN PROGRAM (U18) GRANT PROPOSALAbstractThis grant proposal from the Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) is in response to aFunding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) from the Food and Drug Administration's(FDA) Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM) Veterinary Laboratory Response NetworkStudy for the Vet-LRN Program (U18).The purpose of this proposal from ODA's Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory(ADDL)'s Bacteriology Section is to study the prevalence of Salmonella in fecalsamples from both symptomatic and asymptomatic pets submitted to veterinary clinicsin order to determine the potential zoonotic risks of Salmonella infected pets on humanhealth. This proposal will address four Specific Aims:1. To determine the prevalence of Salmonella in fecal samples from both symptomatic and asymptomatic animals brought to veterinary clinics.2. To determine antimicrobial resistance patterns for all Salmonella isolates.3. To determine serotypes for all Salmonella isolates.4. To determine PFGE patterns for all Salmonella isolates.A successful implementation of the project outlined in the proposal is predicted for manyreasons including the extensive experience of the ADDL's professional and technicalstaff with the isolation and identification of Salmonella. The qualifications of the staff arealso presented. As part of the proposal, a detailed view of the laboratory facilities isprovided. This grant proposal also addresses the CVM request for sample analysiscommitment as well as the laboratory's ability and willingness to complete the proposedresearch in a timely manner. Several additional documents including the internalStandard Operating Procedures (SOP), Proficiency Testing (PT) results, letters ofcollaboration, certificate of AAVLD accreditation, and a summary of past achievementsare provided along with the project narrative to showcase the laboratory's ability toprovide the capacity and capability to conduct the project. We are confident that we canmeet the objectives of this project and look forward to the opportunity to work with theFDA and other labs in its initiation.
RESEARCH OBJECTIVES - OHIO DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Ohio's research objectives are as follows: 1.) to determine the prevalence of Salmonella in fecal samples from both symptomatic and asymptomatic animals brought to veterinary clinics; 2.) to determine the antimicrobial resistance pattern for all Salmonella isolates; 3.) to determine serotypes for all Salmonella isolates;and 4.) to determine the PFGE patterns for all Salmonella isolates. For our specific methodology to address these objectives, please refer to the project narrative (attachment) in the PHS 398 Research Strategy Section.
