A team from the Tuskegee University College of Veterinary Medicine has been awarded a three-year, $750,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture to help poultry processors identify contamination risks earlier and improve food safety management across the production continuum, according to a Mar. 17 announcement.
The project aims to advance food safety by developing new tools for rapid and sensitive detection of Salmonella in poultry plants. This work is important because Salmonella remains a leading cause of foodborne illness in humans, and early identification at processing sites can help prevent outbreaks.
Dr. Woubit Abebe, Professor of Pathobiology and Director of the Center for Food Animal Health, Food Safety, and Food Defense at Tuskegee University College of Veterinary Medicine (TUCVM), is serving as principal investigator for the grant. “Our project aims to strengthen TUCVM’s research capacity while developing innovative, rapid, and highly sensitive tools for detecting and characterizing Salmonella across the food production continuum,” said Dr. Abebe.
The research will use GenoPATHx—a molecular detection platform with machine learning–based predictive tools—to detect and forecast Salmonella presence in poultry processing facilities. Of the total grant amount, $560,000 will fund research at Tuskegee University itself; additional funds will support collaboration with researchers at Cornell University, University of California Davis (including federal partners), Michigan State University, and University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign.
Dr. Ebony Gilbreath, Dean of the Tuskegee University College of Veterinary Medicine said: “Dr. Abebe and her team are to be commended for the scientific contributions they are making to improve food safety, animal health, and human health.” Gilbreath added: “We are proud of the innovative and meaningful work being conducted by Dr. Abebe and other researchers in the College of Veterinary Medicine. Their laboratories focus on diseases and preventative strategies that support the well-being of both animal and human populations.”
Gilbreath also noted: “Our researchers embody the One Health triad which highlights the interconnectedness of human, animal, and environmental health… They consistently demonstrate that research conducted at Tuskegee University makes a significant impact on the world.”
More information about ongoing projects at TUCVM’s Center for Food Animal Health can be found on its official website.
