Enhance the surveillance of foodborne bacterial pathogens isolated from food and environmental samples using whole genome sequencing (WGS) to prevent foodborne outbreaks and promote public health

Summary: Overall
Since 2016, North Carolina State University (NCSU) has helped expand the GenomeTrakr program on a national
and global scale to target some of the leading causes of foodborne illnesses worldwide. The need for surveillance
of foodborne pathogens is urgent because despite advances in hygiene, food and water quality and pathogen
detection, foodborne illnesses remain a tremendous burden for public health. The environment and food products
such as retail meats are implicated as sources of foodborne pathogens, and establishing standardized
surveillance of these sources can help monitor key pathogens and trace contamination routes to prevent and
control outbreaks. To date, NCSU GenomeTrakr laboratories have generated 3,328 whole genome
sequencing (WGS) profiles of bacterial pathogens isolated from multiple sources. This includes profiles
of 1,127 bacterial isolates from 9 countries outside the US over the last three years. They have also trained 23
students and professionals from 10 countries, which has led to 11 original publications of GenomeTrakr
program data in peer-reviewed journals coauthored by the investigators and their US and international
trainees. Since 2016, the investigators have worked to expand their global network to now include 13 countries
spanning three continents. Consequently, the overarching aim of this project is to continue enhancing WGS-
based surveillance of bacterial pathogens associated with foodborne illness at the national and global level using
a One Health approach. This will be achieved through surveillance activities, partnership building and training
students and professionals. The investigators will leverage their extensive leadership experience in surveillance
protocols, advanced molecular techniques and data analysis, and their status as a WHO Collaborating Center
for AMR and One Health to build capacity in the US and globally through world-class training for students and
professionals. To achieve this, they will pursue the following specific aims. Aim 1 (Project): Expand the existing
surveillance system of bacterial pathogens related to foodborne illness that have been isolated from food and
environmental sources in the US and international locations. Aim 2 (Project): Compare WGS profiles of bacterial
pathogens isolated from national and international samples to advance outbreak investigations and track
emerging strains of public health importance. This work will be supported by two aims of the Administrative Core:
Aim 1 (Admin): Provide leadership to complete the proposed aims in collaboration with national and
international institutions. Aim 2 (Admin): Provide a framework to educate and equip the future surveillance
workforce with the knowledge and skills needed for WGS analysis. Expected Outcomes: The investigators are
committed to fulfilling the GenomeTrakr mission and expanding standardized surveillance systems across the
globe. By characterizing 400 new isolates from US and international sources from new and existing collaborators,
and by building capacity worldwide, this work will help public health agencies track the emergence of new strains,
curb the distribution of foodborne pathogens and reduce the burden of foodborne illnesses in the US and globally.