Tracking antibiotic-resistant bacteria in store-bought meats and seafood

NARMS Cooperative Agreement Program to Strengthen Antibiotic Resistance Surveillance in Retail Food Specimens

NIH-funded research Tennessee State Department of Health · NIH-11388098

This program looks for antibiotic-resistant bacteria in retail meats and seafood to help protect people who eat these foods.

Quick facts

Grant typeU01 cooperative agreement
Study typeNIH-funded research
Funding institutionTennessee State Department of Health NIH-funded
Lab location1 site (Nashville, United States)
Project IDNIH-11388098 on NIH RePORTER

What this research studies

From your perspective, public health officials buy approved meats and seafood from grocery stores across Tennessee and test them for bacteria that resist antibiotics. Labs use standard NARMS testing protocols to identify resistant strains and send bacterial isolates plus related data to a central database. The work focuses on finding where resistant bugs appear in the food supply so authorities can respond and track trends over time. Results help guide actions like changes in animal antibiotic use and food safety practices to reduce risks to consumers.

Who could benefit from this research

Good fit: There is no individual patient enrollment; the program monitors retail food products rather than recruiting people for treatment or intervention.

Not a fit: People seeking direct medical care or individual treatment for an infection will not receive care from this surveillance program.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, the program can improve detection of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in food and help reduce human infections caused by those germs.

How similar studies have performed: NARMS is a long-standing national surveillance program with established methods that have informed policy and tracking of antimicrobial resistance in the food supply.

Where this research is happening

Nashville, United States

Researchers

About this research

  1. This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
  2. Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
  3. For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.
Last reviewed 2026-06-10 by the Find a Trial editorial team. Information on this page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals about clinical trial participation.