Project Grant 20226801536628

The Ohio State University will receive $999,938 under a Project Grant award from the United States Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture's Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) to characterize male dairy calf transportation networks, identify risk factors for Salmonella Dublin in these systems, develop simulation models to inform surveillance and control strategies, reduce antimicrobial use through benchmarking and behavior change research, and create culturally appropriate outreach materials. The University will identify influential transmission points of antimicrobial resistance within male dairy and veal calf production systems, an underrecognized source of antimicrobial resistant bacteria. They will also work to motivate reductions in antimicrobial use and improve biosecurity and stewardship practices to mitigate the spread of antimicrobial resistance within predominantly Amish and Mennonite communities involved in male calf production. The four-year project aims to inform cost-effective, risk-based strategies to limit dissemination of multidrug-resistant bacteria from these systems into the food supply.