The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has designated Utrecht University (UU) and Wageningen Bioveterinary Research (WBVR) as an 'FAO Reference Centre for Antimicrobial Resistance'.
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the greatest threats to human and animal health worldwide. The health of people, animals and the environment is closely connected in this context. As an FAO Reference Centre, UU and WBVR will contribute over the next five years to global AMR surveillance in animals and along the food chain, the development of guidelines and training programmes, and capacity building in low- and middle-income countries.
The Department of Infectious Diseases and Immunology at UU's Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and WBVR in Lelystad together form the new centre of expertise. It will be led by Prof. Jaap Wagenaar of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Dr Kees Veldman of WBVR.
"This recognition makes us part of a global network of experts through which we can make a sustained contribution to the responsible use of antibiotics in animals, helping to curb the growing problem of antimicrobial resistance," says Wagenaar. Veldman adds: "Being jointly recognised as an FAO Reference Centre is an important step in our collaboration with Utrecht University. By bringing together our knowledge and expertise in antimicrobial resistance, we can have a greater impact internationally and focus our efforts where they are needed most."
Jaap Wagenaar's department at UU has already been recognised as a Collaborating Centre laboratory by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH). In the Netherlands, WBVR's laboratory led by Kees Veldman is the designated National Reference Laboratory for antimicrobial resistance in livestock.
"By bringing together our knowledge and expertise in antimicrobial resistance, we can have a greater impact internationally and focus our efforts where they are needed most."
- Jaap Wagenaar
