# Puerto Rico Antibiotic Resistance Surveillance in Retail Food (PR-ARS)

> **NIH FDA U01** · UNIVERSITY OF PUERTO RICO AT AGUADILLA · 2021 · $182,000

## Abstract

Antibiotic resistance, a threat to public health worldwide, is exacerbated by misuse and overuse of
antibiotics for therapeutic purposes in human and veterinary medicine. National Antimicrobial
Resistance Monitoring System (NARMS) is a multi-agency federal program that collaborates with
public health and academic institutions in efforts to monitor antimicrobial resistance in bacteria
from humans, retail meats, and food-producing animals. Our aim is to collaborate with the Food
and Drug Administration to establish a NARMS site in Puerto Rico. The Puerto Rico Antibiotic
Resistance Surveillance in Retail Food (PR-ARS) Program’s primary goal is to enhance,
strengthen and sustain antibiotic resistance surveillance in retail food specimens as part of
NARMS. The strategies of this project address four (4) specific aims: (i) Develop and implement
a surveillance system to enhance, strengthen and sustain NARMS; (ii) Develop a trainee program;
(iii) Develop a collaboration with the Puerto Rico Department of Health to build capacity for
microbial resistance detection and improvement in outreach response; (iv) Develop an outreach
program before the end of the third quarter of PY-1 aimed at providing support to public health
organizations and empowering communities on antibiotic resistance and its impact on food supply.
Through this project, we will establish a collaboration with the Pennsylvania Department of Health
and the Pennsylvania State University, which will serve as models and provide training for the
success of the PR-ARS. Analyses of integrated genomics data from food and human sources will
also enhance surveillance for antimicrobial resistance in enteric bacteria. PR-ARS will generate
baseline data about the antimicrobial resistance status of enteric pathogens isolated from retail
meats of PR and will provide critical data to FDA for regulatory oversight, which is essential for
policy-making and improvements in food safety.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10401203
- **Project number:** 1U01FD007453-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF PUERTO RICO AT AGUADILLA
- **Principal Investigator:** Yadira Malavez
- **Activity code:** U01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** FDA
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $182,000
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2021-09-01 → 2025-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10401203

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10401203, Puerto Rico Antibiotic Resistance Surveillance in Retail Food (PR-ARS) (1U01FD007453-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10401203. Licensed CC0.

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