USDA-FSIS and Antimicrobial Resistance: How FSIS Contributes to National 

Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System (NARMS) 

Posted by Dr. Uday Dessai, Senior Public Health Advisor, FSIS; Dr. Sheryl Shaw, Director, Applied Epidemiology Staff, FSIS; Dr. Gamola Fortenberry, 

Epidemiologist, FSIS; Spencer Pretecrum, Speechwriter; FSIS. 

To protect the health of animals, people and the environment, United States Department of 

Agriculture (USDA) scientists play a key role in understanding antimicrobial resistance (AMR) 

in bacteria. For decades USDA has worked to effectively prevent, control, and contain bacterial 

AMR in the food and agricultural settings. For instance, over 70 years ago, USDA developed the 

methods to produce large amounts of penicillin to treat wounded Allied soldiers during World 

War II. This contribution is a testament to USDA’s longstanding commitment to the field of 

antibiotics. Antibiotics are used to treat microbial infections in humans, animals, and plants. 

Microbes can develop resistance which makes antibiotics less effective. USDA conducts 

surveillance to identify changes in AMR that may signal emergence of new resistance patterns. 

AMR along the farm-to-fork continuum is a complex process. Agencies in the Department of 

Health and Human Services (HHS) and USDA, including USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection 

Service (FSIS), actively address different aspects of AMR surveillance. NARMS, which started 

over 23 years ago, is a multiagency AMR collaboration. FSIS NARMS monitors the emergence, 

persistence, and spread of antibiotic resistant microbial strains in food-producing animals at 

slaughter and in food. FSIS focuses on testing AMR in food animals at slaughter and processing. 

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) monitors the retail meat and poultry food 

products. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) monitors enteric (intestinal) 

infections and AMR in people. The state and local health departments work in collaboration with 

the FDA and CDC to monitor bacterial AMR in foods and ill people. 

The NARMS surveillance program provides information each year to help the USDA and HHS 

AMR teams assess the nature and magnitude of AMR in bacteria moving through the food 

supply and ill people. The information FSIS collects under the NARMS program comes from 

food products (Pathogen Reduction/Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point -PR/HACCP) 

and cecal (from the intestine) samples. The agency usesthis information in outbreak 

investigations and inspection activities. 

The NARMS surveillance data and information are routinely published on each NARMS partner 

agency’s website. In addition, NARMS periodically publishes an Integrated Report which 

summarizes the most important resistance findings for Salmonella, Campylobacter, E. coli and 

Enterococcus from the participating agencies. NARMS data and publications help in identifying 

new and changing AMR profiles, examine how AMR might be spreading, and show similarities 

or differences in bacterial AMR from food animals and human. Access to NARMS findings 

ensures information transparency and enables industry and other stakeholders to make AMR 

informed food safety decisions. 

The USDA plays a key role in protecting the health of animals, people and the environment and 

the FSIS NARMS program is a part of this larger USDA effort. As the NARMS 2018 Integrated 

Report (publication pending) indicates, AMR pathogens currently pose a low level of threat to 

the average consumer. Still, to stay safe from all food pathogens, everyone should remember to 

follow FSIS’s safe food preparation recommendationsto Clean, Separate, Cook and Chill. 
For more about the NARMS surveillance program, visit FSIS NARMS.