# Enhancing Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance in companion animals at the Connecticut Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory

> **NIH FDA U18** · UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT STORRS · 2020 · $59,900

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
The goal of this project is to build at the Connecticut Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory
(CVMDL) the capacity necessary to profile antibiotic resistance of bacterial and fungal
isolates derived from livestock, companion and wild animals. The goal of the project aligns
with the US FDA Veterinary Laboratory Investigation and Response Network (Vet-LIRN) efforts
on tracking antimicrobial resistance in bacteria from sick animals.
To meet the goal of this project we are requesting funds; 1) to acquire an automated system for
reading antibiotic susceptibility plates and 2) to support a computational biologist (12 months)
that will implement easy-to-use analytical tools (computational algorithms) to further CVMDL
existing whole-genome sequencing (WGS) capabilities.
The purchase of a BIOMIC V3 (Giles Scientific, CA) system will create the capacity at the
CVMDL Microbiology Laboratory to be fully engaged with the Vet-LIRN AST goals. The
laboratory does not have an advanced automated system for reading antibiotic susceptibility
plates.
Whole genome sequencing will be used to genetically characterize bacterial isolates by profiling
their resistome (antibiotic resistance genes)/virulence associated genes. The CVMDL has
access to and is currently using a next-generation DNA sequencer available to our laboratory. A
computational biologist is needed to develop and implement easy-to-use analysis pipelines at
the CVMDL Microbiology Laboratory. This know-how will be transferred to CVMDL personnel
and included into the laboratory routine.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10145966
- **Project number:** 1U18FD006995-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT STORRS
- **Principal Investigator:** Guillermo Roberto Risatti
- **Activity code:** U18 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** FDA
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $59,900
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-08-01 → 2021-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10145966

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10145966, Enhancing Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance in companion animals at the Connecticut Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory (1U18FD006995-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10145966. Licensed CC0.

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