Beyond Farm Level Management: How can Community Partnership Teams Enhance Management of Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria on Livestock Operations

There is growing awareness and concern around the emergence of antibiotic resistant bacteria in agriculture and its implications for livestock and human health. Existing research and policy focus on the role of individual farms (e.g. antibiotic use protocols and biosecurity measures) to prevent the emergence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). This approach assumes that the drivers of AMR are determined within the boundaries of a single farm. We are testing whether aggregate patterns of farm sizes, landscape characteristics (i.e. land-use diversity, wildlife presence, and topography), and antimicrobial use across an entire community of farms, influences AMR. For example, the presence of non-resistant (susceptible) bacteria in untreated livestock or wildlife may dilute populations of resistant bacteria, resulting in treatable rather than resistant infections. Our research team at Ohio State will gather baseline data on beef and dairy operations in three counties (Mercer, Muskingum, and Wayne) that represent the wide diversity of farming systems and landscape features in Ohio. We will then use a series of advanced computer models to analyze our data and answer our research questions: How do patterns of farm scale, land-use, and antibiotic use interact to create patterns of AMR in a community? Will protecting the viability of small/mid-sized farms play a role in reducing risks of AMR? Unique to the project design is our goal to develop strong community partnership teams (CPTs) between researchers and the agricultural community that will enhance our research. Our CPTs will work together in the design, implementation, and communication of the study, thereby providing transparency and active participation from community members in research affecting them locally. Additionally, we will work within the CPTs to develop community teaching and outreach activities addressing disease ecology and how ecological understanding can be applied to our daily lives. This will enhance both the understanding of how farm characteristics and landscape features shape AMR profiles while keeping communities resilient and competitive. Results have the potential to help reshape policy approaches with community-level management strategies; complementary to individual farm-level management strategies.AUTHOR AFFILIATION: Sarah Mielke, graduate research associate, Ohio State College of Veterinary Medicine, mielke.153@osu.edu (Corresponding Author); Caroline Brock, research associate, Ohio State College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences; Rebecca Garabed, associate professor, Ohio State College of Veterinary Medicine; Douglas Jackson-Smith, professor and assistant director, Ohio State School of Environment and Natural ResourcesAntimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a growing public health crisis due to its impacts on human health and the challenges in developing new antimicrobials that outpace the spread of resistance. The structure of livestock farms and landscape-scale patterns of farming and natural areas create distinctive social-ecological contexts which shape microbial populations, potentially shaping emergence and distribution of AMR. How researchers, community leaders, and the agricultural community develop solutions is critical. Community partnership teams, consisting of community leaders, researchers and agricultural members, can help address concerns defined by farm-scale production and landscape features in identified counties (Mercer, Muskingum, and Mercer) of Ohio. The data required to assess this includes individual farm surveys and environmental sampling, to be used in mathematical and computer modeling for the analysis