# The Cepheid GeneXpert System to Support VetLIRN Investigations

> **NIH FDA U18** · UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA · 2021 · $80,641

## Abstract

While antibiotics save millions of lives every year, the rise of antibiotic resistant bacterial
strains poses an increasing threat to both human and animal health. With growing evidence that
resistant bacteria in companion animals (pets) is correlated with resistant bacteria in their
owners, judicious use of antimicrobials by health practitioners is critical to limit the emergence
and spread of antimicrobial resistant pathogens(1) Several publications and organizations have
specifically called on the veterinary profession to participate in antibiotic stewardship and have
suggested strategies on how to do so(2,3) because the reduction of antimicrobial resistance in
bacteria isolated from companion animals is a growing public health concern.
 The emergence of carbapenem resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) in companion
animal veterinary medicine was inevitable – and yet we were, and are, completely unprepared.
In April 2019, passive surveillance conducted by Vet-LIRN identified the blaNDM-5 gene in a
carbapenem-resistant E. coli from a dog that was a patient at the University of Pennsylvania
Veterinary Hospital. VetLIRN has created a Veterinary Antimicrobial Working Group (VAWG) to
navigate the complex issues associated with the isolation of these organisms from animals.
 CDC has declared the that CRE are an urgent public health threat. Aggressive action is
needed to prevent the spread of CRE from animals to humans, or vice versa, and surveillance is
necessary to detect resistance mechanisms in animal isolates. CDC’s Antibiotic Resistance
Laboratory Network (AR Lab Network) supports nationwide lab capacity to rapidly detect
antibiotic resistance and inform local responses to prevent spread and protect people. It closes
the gap between local capabilities and the data needed to combat antibiotic resistance by
providing comprehensive lab capacity and infrastructure for antibiotic-resistant pathogens,
cutting-edge technology, and data collection to drive response and prevent infections.
 The FDA VetLIRN mission is: To promote human and animal health by collaborating with
veterinary diagnostic laboratories to provide scientific information, build laboratory capacity for
routine and emergency response and train scientists. VetLIRN must also be in a position to
provide comprehensive lab capacity and infrastructure for antibiotic-resistant pathogens in
veterinary medicine. That should be done using the same cutting-edge technology that is used
in the CDC ARLN. A CRE Reference Laboratory within the VetLIRN infrastructure will support
the collection of veterinary surveillance data to drive veterinary-specific responses and prevent
infection in animals and humans.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10144610
- **Project number:** 1U18FD006987-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA
- **Principal Investigator:** Stephen Douglas Cole
- **Activity code:** U18 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** FDA
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $80,641
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2021-09-06 → 2022-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10144610

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10144610, The Cepheid GeneXpert System to Support VetLIRN Investigations (1U18FD006987-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10144610. Licensed CC0.

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