Contact: Alaina Dismukes

STARKVILLE, Miss.—Mississippi State researchers confronting the global challenge of antimicrobial resistance in agriculture and aquaculture discussed their work during a recent workshop involving United Nations representatives.

Hosted by the Global Center for Aquatic Health and Food Security—which manages the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization Reference Center on Antimicrobial Resistance and Aquaculture Biosecurity—and the university’s Division of Agriculture, Forestry and Veterinary Medicine, this month’s MSU Aquatic Antimicrobial Resistance Workshop brought together faculty, staff and students from six university departments and served as a forum for enhancing collaboration and coordination.

Antimicrobial resistance occurs when bacteria or viruses, as examples, no longer respond to antimicrobial medicines, such as antibiotics. This medicinal resistance leads to infections that are difficult or impossible to treat. As diseases evolve, discussions about antimicrobial resistance are increasingly important for maintaining and strengthening aquaculture production—an important part of animal agriculture. Preventing disease is key to protecting resources for long-term food security.

“Aquaculture is vital for food security,” said Keith Coble, DAFVM vice president. “When you step back and think about it, we are feeding the world through aquaculture, and multidisciplinary teams are important to solving the critical issues in the industry. We solve these problems working together.”

MSU departments participating in the workshop included Animal and Dairy Sciences; Biological Sciences; Chemistry; Comparative Biomedical Sciences; Pathobiology and Population Medicine; and Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture.

“Everything we do should be to help farmers and our food supply,” said FAO representative Melba Reantaso. “We are working together to fight food insecurity. Globally, every three to five years, there is a new disease in aquaculture. Unmanaged disease outbreaks with high economic losses reflect an immature aquaculture industry. A maturing aquaculture industry requires a focus on disease prevention supported by improved governance and understanding disease impacts, such as burdens and investments. There are several related factors that impact disease emergence, including climate change, species selected for growth rather than disease resistance and changes or intensification in management practices. Antimicrobial resistance is not a stand-alone issue.”

“Aquaculture is one of MSU’s strengths and a reason why the campus is home to the Global Center for Aquatic Health and Food Security and its projects, such as the Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Fish and the FAO Reference Center,” Coble said.

To learn more about the GCAHFS, visit www.gcahfs.msstate.edu. More information on the FAO Reference Center on Antimicrobial Resistance and Aquaculture Biosecurity is available at www.gcahfs.msstate.edu/projects/fao-reference-center-antimicrobial-resistance-and-aquaculture-biosecurity.

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