Partners in Antibiotic Resistance and Food Safety
Preventing the spread of foodborne infections from resistant bacteria is not easy. The CDC works closely with a number of partners who play complementary roles in antibiotic resistance to address this important issue, including federal agencies, state and local health departments, the food industry, healthcare providers, and academia. The National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System (NARMS) is a US public health surveillance system that tracks antimicrobial resistance in foodborne and other enteric bacteria.
Partners in Antibiotic Resistance and Food Safety | |||
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Humans | Retail Meats | Food-Producing Animals | |
Who is involved? | |||
Federal agency(s) |
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State agencies |
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Where do the samples that are tested come from? | Ill persons | Retail meats from grocery stores
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Farm animals
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What bacteria does NARMS test for resistance†? |
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Where can I find more information? | CDC NARMS | FDA NARMS | USDA NARMS |
During outbreaks, CDC also tests leftover foods found in outbreak patient homes.
*USDA NARMS agencies include the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), the Agricultural Research Service (ARS), and the Animal Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). Each USDA NARMS agency tests bacterial samples taken from food-producing animals at different stages of production. For more information, visit the USDA NARMS website.
†NARMS tests bacteria from sporadic cases and outbreaks of illness for resistance to 22 antibiotic agents that are in 13 classes of drugs.
‡Most Escherichia coli and Enterococcus do not cause human illness, but antibiotic resistance in these bacteria can be transferred to other bacteria that can make people sick.
- Page last reviewed: September 9, 2014
- Page last updated: September 9, 2014
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