Tracking antibiotic-resistant bacteria in store-bought meats and seafood
Official title: NARMS Cooperative Agreement Program to Strengthen Antibiotic Resistance Surveillance in Retail Food Specimens
Funded at Tennessee State Department of Health · NIH-11388098 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This program looks for antibiotic-resistant bacteria in retail meats and seafood to help protect people who eat these foods.
Quick facts
| Grant type | U01 cooperative agreement |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Tennessee State Department of Health NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Nashville, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2020 |
| Project end | August 31, 2030 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $200,000 |
| NIH project number | 2U01FD007159-06 |
| Project ID | NIH-11388098 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
There is no individual patient enrollment; the program monitors retail food products rather than recruiting people for treatment or intervention.
✕Less likely to help
People seeking direct medical care or individual treatment for an infection will not receive care from this surveillance program.
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.
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 gone: 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
-
Tennessee State Department of Health
Nashville, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Hanna, Samir — Tennessee State Department of Health
- Study coordinator: Hanna, Samir
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.