PAR-20-105 Laboratory Flexible Funding Model (LFFM) (U19) Microbiology Discipline Analytical Track 4: Whole-Genome Sequencing Virginia Division of Consolidated Laboratory Services Principal Investigator: Lauren Turner, PhD Project Summary The Division of Consolidated Laboratory Services (DCLS) is the public health laboratory for the Commonwealth of Virginia and offers a wide variety of laboratory testing services for state and federal agencies, local governments, and other states in support of public health, environmental protection, and emergency response. DCLS provides surveillance and emergency response testing of food samples for the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) Food Safety Program by offering nearly comprehensive testing of food samples by microbiology, chemistry, and radiochemical methods. DCLS is a long-term participating partner in the FDA CFSAN GenomeTrakr program and proposes to further enhance the GenomeTrakr Network pathogen databases by generating and sharing genome sequences of more than 400 pathogen isolates from food, environmental, and animal sources during the budget period. The genomic information made available through the GenomeTrakr Network can identify food products potentially associated with an outbreak, assist with traceback of contaminated food ingredients, aid in compliance monitoring of facilities with previous pathogen contamination issues, and can improve the understanding of pathogen attributes associated with virulence and pathogenicity.