College of Veterinary Medicine / Department of Veterinary Preventive Medicine / School of Environment and Natural Resources Beyond Farm Level Management: How Can Community Partnership Teams Enhance Management of Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria on Livestock Operations Sarah Mielke, Caroline Brock, Rebecca Garabed, Doug Jackson-Smith, Mark Flint, Kelly George, Stephen Matthews, Tom Wittum INTRODUCTION RESEARCH QUESTIONS The emergence of antibiotic resistant bacteria in agriculture and its implications for livestock and human health is a growing concern. Research and policy focuses on the role of individual farms to prevent the emergence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). 1) How do patterns of farm scale, land-use, and antibiotic use interact to create patterns of antimicrobial resistance in a community? METHODS To build trust on a local level, Community Partnership Teams (CPTs), made up of local – extension agents, veterinarians, and agricultural community leaders in each county will be formed. The teams will help coordinate between researchers and producers to improve the quality of research data, and ensure findings contribute to local community dialogues. CPTs will collaborate with researchers to: DATA AND ANALYSIS One-on-one interviews with Farmers On-Farm Environmental Samples Disease Models to evaluate how patterns of farm scale, land-use, and antibiotic use interact to create patterns of AMR . 2) Will protecting the viability of small/mid-sized farms play a role in reducing risks of AMR? Assuming that the drivers of AMR are determined within the boundaries of a single farm may not be accurate. We are testing if aggregate patterns of farm sizes, landscape characteristics, 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. This is a hypothesized phenomenon, illustrated below: COUNTY CHARACTERISTICS Mercer: Larger operations and homogenous landscape MODEL Wayne: Diversity of large, mid- and small size operations; Mix of land-use (forest & farm) Muskingum: Fewer and predominantly small-sized operations; most wild and diverse landscape OUTCOMES 1. Design Research Methods – Identify representative farms and study sites; develop data collection protocols, interpret results  Resilient Community Partnerships  Diverse understanding of existing AMR profiles across multiple landscapes and Implications for sustainable agriculture 2. Communicate About Project -- Discuss objectives of study with potential participants, increase transparency within communities BIBLIOGRAPHY 3. Develop teaching and outreach materials to stimulate awareness and discussion of ecological dynamics in local farm landscape. 4. Provide a Voice to each community 1. Park, A. W., Haven, J., Kaplan, R., & Gandon, S. (2015). Refugia and the evolutionary epidemiology of drug resistance. Biology Letters, 11(11), 89–109. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2015.0783 What are your IDEAS about enhancing our COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP? E-mail: mielke.153@osu.edu with interest in collaboration or suggestions. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Funding was provided by The Ohio State Ohio Extension Offices University’s Initiative for Food and AgriCultural Wayne Co. Farm Bureau Transformation (InFACT), a Discovery Themes Killbuck Veterinary Assoc. program. Learn more at discovery.osu.edu/infact