Scientists are talking about FDA's Grand Rounds, Thurs., May 12, 12-1 p.m. Live Web cast

Don't miss FDA's upcoming Grand Rounds, web cast live on Thursday, May 12 from 12-1 p.m., when FDA's Dr. Patrick McDermott of FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine speaks on:

Antibiotic resistance surveillance in the age of genomics: New answers to old questions

Webcast:

FDA Grand Rounds Remote Access Information (see FDA's web site for further details): 

• To access via Adobe Connect, click the link below and login as a guest (please provide your Full Name).
  https://collaboration.fda.gov/grandrounds/
• Audio will come from your PC/laptop speakers and questions can be submitted in writing.
• Questions about this topic can be submitted during the presentation. For those unable to view the lecture, the archived presentation will be posted after each session.

About the Presentation

Antibiotic resistance is a negative consequence of antibiotic use that directly threatens the efficacy of an important class of FDA-regulated drugs. Resistance is a unique challenge because it can spread and affect treatment outcomes in other members of the community.The use of antibiotics in animal agriculture can lead to foodborne transmission of resistant bacteria to humans. To monitor resistance in these bacteria from retail meats, food-producing animals, and human clinical cases of infection, FDA, USDA, and CDC launched an interagency collaborative effort in 1996 called the National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System (NARMS). 

The advent of whole genome sequencing technology has revolutionized the type of surveillance that NARMS performs. The availability of comprehensive genetic data is revealing new features of the resistant foodborne bacteria that cause human illness. This knowledge, in turn, is strengthening the scientific basis on which sound regulatory decisions are made. 

Dr. Patrick McDermott is Director of NARMS. He is past Deputy Director of the Office of Research at FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine, with 25 years' experience researching antimicrobial resistance. He represents FDA as a member of the WHO Advisory Group on Integrated Surveillance of Antimicrobial Resistance (AGISAR) and on the Steering Committee of the WHO Global Foodborne Infections Network (GFN). Dr. McDermott is a member of the Interagency and Transatlantic Task Forces on Antimicrobial Resistance.