The Food and Drug Administration Center for Veterinary Medicine today announced a public meeting of the National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System (NARMS) at 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on July 20 at the Holiday Inn Select in St. Louis, Mo. The meeting will take place following the 2011 American Veterinary Medical Association convention. NARMS is a national public health surveillance system that tracks antibiotic resistance in foodborne bacteria. The NARMS program was established in 1996 as a partnership between the FDA, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The purpose of the meeting is to explore different animal and retail sampling strategies in an effort to modify the existing NARMS sampling scheme. Other topics include: • How should NARMS define adequate sampling for resistance trends? • What are some additional sources for unbiased food animal samples? • What additional information should NARMS collect and report? Data, information or views on the NARMS topic may be presented. Intent to make an oral presentation or written view must be made on or before July 6. Presentations from the public during the public comment period will take place between 2 and 3 p.m. Registration is not required for the meeting. Contact Aleta Sindelar (240) 276– 9004 or at Aleta.Sindelar@fda.hhs.gov for more information. <Home>
