Thirty Years and Going Strong: USDA’s Active Engagement in the U.S. National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System (NARMS) Interagency Collaboration

Thirty Years and Going Strong: USDA's Active Engagement in the U.S. National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System (NARMS) Interagency Collaboration

The 1928 landmark discovery of penicillin by Dr. Alexander Fleming marked the beginning of antibiotic use in human medicine. In the following decades, antibiotics helped make significant progress in reducing the morbidity and mortality associated with microbial infections throughout the world. However, as cautioned by Dr. Fleming in his 1945 Nobel Prize acceptance speech, the increased use, misuse and reliance on antibiotics for many decades has led to notable increases in antibiotic/antimicrobial resistance (AR/AMR). Consequently, the antibiotics that were once considered lifesaving have become ineffective against treatable diseases. According to CDC's 2019 Antibiotic Resistance Threats Report, more than 2.8 million annual infections, which result in over 35,000 deaths per year in the United States, are associated with AMR high. To prevent AMR from undermining the public health gains made thus far, it is essential that we take immediate actions to curb AMR and retain the effectiveness of our antibiotics. While prudent and judicious use of antimicrobials in humans and animals may help curb the emergence of AMR in bacteria, overuse of antimicrobial drugs can exasperate the development and spread of bacterial AMR. Particularly, resistant bacteria in food-producing animals may end up in animal-derived food products, leading to greater consumer exposure and potential for antimicrobial treatment failures.

Realizing the importance of bacterial AMR in food-producing animals and its implications for public health, the National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System (NARMS) was initiated in 1997 to monitor and track AMR in select enteric bacteria isolated from food-producing animals and foods. The NARMS surveillance program is an interagency, collaborative partnership with state and local public health departments, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Since its inception almost 30 years ago, NARMS has focused on understanding the development and spread of AMR in select foodborne enteric bacteria, trends over time in food-producing animals and foods, and the potential bacterial AMR connection/association between human and food-producing animals/foods.

Different USDA agencies (Agricultural Research Service - ARS, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service - APHIS, and the Food Safety and Inspection Service - FSIS) play a key role in complementing FDA and CDC in their efforts to curb the development and spread of AMR in the United States. This is accomplished by engaging in collaborative studies related to on-farm antibiotic/antimicrobial drug use in food-producing animals, actively monitoring AMR bacteria at different points from farm-to-fork, developing guidance on bacterial AMR for producers, and continually monitoring bacterial AMR trends in food products.

FSIS monitors bacterial AMR from food-producing animals (intestinal/cecal samples) at slaughter, and in food products at processing. The FSIS approach, in conjunction with the preharvest surveillance and research conducted by the USDA ARS and APHIS , the monitoring of retail food products by the FDA, and the monitoring of human clinical samples by the CDC, together helps the United States in developing a robust and ongoing national view of bacterial AMR trends and to institute preventative actions to protect public and animal health.

As 2026 approaches, we look back to highlight the 30 years of NARMS. The early years of NARMS focused on establishing and building this integrated program and laid the foundation for harmonizing methods, analytics, data interpretation and communications. In the last decade, the NARMS program expanded its sampling, adapted more advanced analytics and data tools to understand and monitor bacterial AMR, and focused on timely data and information sharing with stakeholders and the public. Through pilot studies, FSIS expanded NARMS sampling to include minor species (goats, sheep and lamb), veal, cattle lymph nodes and Siluriformes fish. To better understand and monitor bacterial AMR, FSIS incorporated whole genome sequencing (WGS) in routine isolate characterization. FSIS established the first high-throughput and near real-time (less than three weeks) WGS reporting system to routinely accomplish sample-to-isolate characterization, including WGS and uploading of the sequences into the publicly accessible genomic database hosted by the National Center for Biotechnology Information.

In addition to capacity building, FSIS collaborated with NARMS partners to publish various reports, including a comprehensive NARMS multi-year report focused on Salmonella, quarterly and annual public postings of both cecal and food product AMR data along with detailed metadata on FSIS' website, and a manuscript on findings from the minor species AMR pilot study. The FSIS NARMS webpage is a one-stop resource for accessing information on FSIS NARMS and new developments.

NARMS findings continue to inform FDA regulatory decisions related to AMR risk assessments, evaluation and reevaluation of antimicrobials; formulation of strategies to prevent the development and spread of bacterial AMR CDC/FSIS outbreak investigations; food safety assessment and promotion; identification of research gaps/areas to facilitate research; and engagement with a wide range of stakeholders for bacterial AMR awareness and decision making. As we approach 30 years of NARMS and 100 years since the discovery of penicillin, the NARMS partner agencies will continue their efforts to understand and contain the development and spread of bacterial AMR, help protect the effectiveness of currently used antibiotics, and safeguard animal and public health

It is worth noting that the presence of pathogens or indicator bacteria with or without AMR in animal-derived raw food products does not imply an immediate or direct risk to consumers; there are many opportunities to reduce and kill bacteria before these products are consumed. The USDA and collaborating NARMS agencies are committed to overcoming the formidable challenge of AMR bacteria and ensuring that the effectiveness of currently used antibiotics is secured for people and animals for generations to come. NARMS efforts thus far and actions moving forward will be highlighted in the upcoming publications, "Thirty years of NARMS" and the new "NARMS Strategic Plan 2026-2030".