Genomic surveillance of antimicrobial resistance in UK cattle

Currently, UK cattle are not routinely monitored for AMR and foodborne pathogens, hence the risk to consumers of AMR pathogens acquired from cattle is difficult to assess.

As part of the Pathogen Surveillance in Agriculture, Food and the Environment (PATH-SAFE) programme, a UK cattle at slaughter survey is being conducted, including the whole genome sequencing of approximately 500 isolates of E. coli and the predominant Enterococci and Campylobacter species.

The PhD project will, following on from the PATH-SAFE work which concludes in March 2024, analyse the genomic data to establish the prevalence and diversity of antimicrobial resistance genes (ARG) in three indicator and food-borne pathogens isolated from UK cattle at slaughter.