Robust, Cross-Laboratory Validated PCR Methods to Track Antibiotic Resistance in Agricultural Settings.

In order to make informed decisions on how best to manage agricultural antibiotics, we need to be able to track and quantify the antibiotic resistant bacteria, and antibiotic resistance genes.  PCR-based methods are widely used to both detect and quantify antibiotic resistance genes, however there are many technical issues associated with PCR development and operation that can impact the interpretation of the results.  We propose a series of standards be routinely included in PCR assays designed to track and quantify antibiotic resistance in agriculturally associated and environmental samples, and recommend the cross-lab validation of both standard and quantitative PCR assays.