California Ag Network

Tag: antimicrobial resistance

  • Developing a New Phone App that Detects Bee Diseases

    RS researchers are looking to help U.S. beekeepers better detect and treat their honey bee populations. Honey bees are important pollinators in agriculture. With an estimated 50–80% of crops pollinated by honey bees, they generate approximately $20 billion annually in market value in the United States alone. However, pathogens and the Varroa destructor parasitic mite threaten their health, costing the industry over $500 million each year.

    Commercial beekeepers face challenges in protecting their hives from bacterial, viral, and fungal diseases. Accurate diagnosis of brood disease, especially distinguishing European Foulbrood (EFB), a bacterial disease, from viral infections with symptoms similar to EFB, remains challenging and time consuming. Misdiagnosis often results in inappropriate antibiotic use, leading to increased antimicrobial resistant bacteria and significant disruption of the honey bees’ gut microbiome.

    In a published study, researchers at the ARS Carl Hayden Bee Research Center in Tucson, AZ, developed an image-based artificial intelligence (AI) diagnostic tool to rapidly identify and differentiate between bacterial and viral infections in honey bee brood. Over many years, the researchers collaborated with apiary inspectors and university extension agents to generate a dataset of 2,759 honey bee larvae images gathered from multiple apiaries. Each image was paired with definitive molecular evidence of viral or bacterial infection.

    Using image analysis, the proof-of-concept models achieved 73–88% accuracy in identifying the diseases.

    “This study represents a significant step toward addressing the challenge of brood disease diagnosis, which has traditionally relied on visual inspection by experienced apiarists with variable accuracy,” said ARS Research Microbiologist Duan Copeland.

    “AI models can provide rapid, objective disease diagnostics which can reduce the unnecessary use of antibiotics and preserve the integrity of the gut microbiome, a significant contributor to colony health in commercial beekeeping operations.”

    According to Copeland, the goal is to develop a phone-app diagnostic tool whereby beekeepers can upload photos and receive accurate diagnoses in seconds. The findings show promise, but more research and development are required to produce field-ready diagnostic tools. Future research will focus on including all major bee pathogens and extending landscape representation throughout the U.S.

    The research was funded by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA)’s Agriculture and Food Research Initiative grant and conducted in collaboration with Apiary Inspectors of America, Michigan State University, and the ARS Bee Research Laboratory. – by Jessica Ryan, ARS Office of Communications

  • CDFA’s Work to Regulate Antibiotics in Livestock

    A report issued last week by a consortium of environmental groups on antibiotics in the meat supply chain highlights the importance of work being undertaken by California Department of Food and Agriculture as the first state in the nation to regulate the use of antibiotics in livestock. The report touched on CDFA’s efforts but it is important to clearly state what is being done to implement the legislation in collaboration with sister agencies and a broad, diverse set of stakeholders.

    As of January 1st, 2018, California became the first state in the nation to require veterinary oversight for the use of all medically important antibiotics used in livestock (not just in feed or water). The state law also prohibits growth promotion use and goes above and beyond the federal requirements to prohibit the use of medically important antibiotics in a regular pattern for disease prevention unless necessary for surgical or medical procedures. This is currently the only legislation that requires data collection from willing participants to monitor antibiotic use practices, assess trends in antibiotic resistance, and to inform the development of antimicrobial stewardship guidelines and best management practices to effect change in antibiotic usage.

    The California Department of Food and Agriculture has hired experienced and qualified staff to work with multiple state and federal partners, as well as university researchers, to collect information across California’s diverse livestock production types, coordinating with existing systems and efforts where possible. In less than two years, the Antimicrobial Use & Stewardship program’s efforts, through in-house surveys and contracted studies, have developed data from  nearly 1,400 operations, representing more than half a million animals across 55 counties in California, and- reflecting antibiotic use and management practices across beef and dairy cattle, sheep, and backyard poultry operations.

    Additionally, the Antimicrobial Use & Stewardship program has initiated on-farm sampling, covering a population of more than 50 operations and 128,000 animals in California that will voluntarily be sampled over time. Data collection efforts are ongoing and will continue to expand as the program moves forward.

    CDFA is committed to fulfilling the requirements of state law and continuing to work with all stakeholders to achieve a safe, secure, and bountiful food supply, while reducing the emergence of antimicrobial resistance.