The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations has designated the National Food Institute, Technical University of Denmark (DTU) as a new reference centre for antimicrobial resistance.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has designated a number of reference centres around the world to as centres of excellence in providing scientific and technical expertise on issues relating to FAO's fields of work. The centres also support the Organization's projects e.g., by developing evidence-based analytical tools and protocols and by planning and conducting training courses.
In November 2019, the National Food Institute was designated as one of FAO's new Reference Centres for antimicrobial resistance. In this role, the institute will e.g., help laboratories around the world become better at analyzing samples for the presence of resistance genes and at typing the resistant bacteria.
This will be done, partly by advising and training the laboratories in how to conduct the analyses and partly by offering so-called performance tests aimed at testing the ability of laboratories to determine the presence of resistance in different bacterial species using relevant methods.
“Being designated as one of FAO's reference centres is recognition of our professional expertise within antimicrobial resistance, which is now being further utilized internationally. We are proud of the designation,” Director of Institute Christine Nellemann from the National Food Institute says.
Already an international adviser in relation to antimicrobial resistance
The National Food Institute is already WHO collaborating centre and EU Reference Laboratory in the area of antimicrobial resistance.
The institute approaches the partnership role with the three organizations from a One Health perspective, which covers both food, humans and animals.
"Being designated as one of FAO's reference centres is recognition of our professional expertise within antimicrobial resistance, which is now being further utilized internationally."
Director of institute Christine Nellemann
One Health is built on the understanding that the health and wellbeing of people, animals and our shared environment can only be assured in the long run by focusing on all three areas at once.
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Find more information about Denmark’s experience in reducing antimicrobial consumption and resistance over the last 20 years on the National Food Institute’s special topic portal on antimicrobial resistance.
Read more about Denmark’s collaboration with FAO in the area of antimicrobial resistance in FAO’s publication: Tackling antimicrobial use and resistance in pig production: lessons learned in Denmark.
Researchers from the National Food Institute are working with colleagues from all over the world to develop a global surveillance system that can continuously monitor the occurrence and spread of disease-causing microorganisms and antimicrobial resistance.
It would be possible to use such global surveillance data e.g., to manage diseases that threaten to spread beyond a country’s borders and develop into pandemics, such as Ebola, measles, polio or cholera.
Read about the researchers’ use of different – and at times unconventional – methods to reach their goal of a global surveillance system in a press release from the National Food Institute from 8 March 2019: Sewage reveals levels of antimicrobial resistance worldwide.