NCTR Division of Microbiology
Division Director: Carl Cerniglia, Ph.D.
Strategies to Meet Our Mission
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Understand better the regulatory process to identify issues
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Integrate research program into the FDA infrastructure
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Contribute to the FDA/NCTR mission
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Assess the needs of FDA
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Conduct research critical to the FDA regulatory science mission
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Expand our collaborative relationship with FDA product centers and Office of Regulatory Affairs
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Focus research priorities in consultation with regulatory colleagues
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Establish benchmarks of scientific excellence
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Communicate research in plain language
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Upgrade research facilities and infrastructure
Division Research Themes
-
Understand better the regulatory process to identify issues
-
Integrate research program into the FDA infrastructure
-
Contribute to the FDA/NCTR mission
-
Assess the needs of FDA
-
Conduct research critical to the FDA regulatory science mission
-
Expand our collaborative relationship with FDA product centers and Office of Regulatory Affairs
-
Focus research priorities in consultation with regulatory colleagues
-
Establish benchmarks of scientific excellence
-
Communicate research in plain language
-
Upgrade research facilities and infrastructure
The Division of Microbiology scientists engage in research addressing FDA issues with special emphasis on:
- Evaluating the impact of antimicrobial agents, food contaminants, food additives, nanomaterials, and FDA-regulated products on the microbiome.
- Developing methods to detect and characterize microbial contaminants in FDA-regulated products.
- Determining antimicrobial resistance and virulence mechanisms of foodborne and other pathogens.
- Conducting research to aid FDA in the areas of women's health, tobacco products, and nanotechnology.
- Improving risk assessments of FDA-regulated products, including the integration of systems biology approaches.
2019 Select Accomplishments
Antimicrobial Resistance and Virulence Mechanisms
- Established a database and an analysis tool to better understand and control Salmonella enterica in foods and feed. Publications available in International Journal of Food Microbiology and Microbiology Resource Announcements.
- Developed and deployed matching algorithms to detect virulence genes from whole-genome sequence data.
- Developed tools to allow the comparison of virulence gene profiles between different Salmonella strains.
- Researched cell plasmids and their role in antimicrobial resistance to determine how plasmids contribute to increased virulence among S. enterica strains. Publications available in Microbial Transposon Mutagenesis and BMC Genomics.
- Demonstrated that antimicrobial exposures can impact plasmid transfer dynamics in a dose-dependent fashion.
- Characterized P. aeruginosa phenotypes when grown with antibiotic-coated catheters in a biofilm reactor and found them to have a higher growth rate, biofilm formation, and cell-invasion potential compared to controls.
Impact of Agents on the Human Microbiome
- Found that higher concentrations of tetracycline and erythromycin could compromise intestinal barrier functions.
- Studied the hypothesis that co-exposure to environmental pollutant, trichloroethylene, and a high-fat diet would exacerbate the immunotoxicity, gut inflammation, and microbial dysbiosis in offspring. Publications available in Journal of Applied Toxicology and Toxicological Sciences.
- Used next-generation sequencing (NGS) to show commensal organism resistance to Clostridium difficile colonization in an intestinal microbiome cell culture model and to show a reduction in C. difficile toxicity as well as a reduction in inflammation in the presence of certain gut bacteria in an in vivo model.
- Assessed the impact of smokeless tobacco products on members of the oral microbiome.
- Completed a microbiological survey of 85 unopened tattoo and PMU inks, purchased from 13 companies available in the U.S. and almost half (49%) were contaminated with microorganisms, including some species that may be opportunistic pathogens.
2020 Select Research Projects
- Assessment of the Role that the Microbiome May Play in the Toxicity of Xenobiotics
- Studies on the Intrinsic Structural Multidrug Efflux Pump Mechanisms on Antimicrobial Resistant Salmonella enterica and Their Role in Antimicrobial Resistance
- Detection of Microbial Contaminants in Tattoo inks
- Interaction of Nanoparticles with Gastrointestinal Tract
- Nonclinical Modeling and Risk Assessment of FDA-Regulated Drug-Nanocrystals
- Comparative Study to Evaluate Molecular Assays and Culture-Based Reference Methods for the Detection of Toxigenic Clostridium difficile and to Evaluate Storage Conditions on the Recovery of C. difficile in Clinical Stool Specimens
- Exploration of Fecal Transplant Mechanisms: Differential Pro-Inflammatory Responses of Intestinal Epithelial and Dendritic Cells to Clostridium difficile and Commensal Bacteria
- Multi-Omics Approach to Identify an Antimicrobial Resistance Marker of Staphylococcus aureus Associated with Antimicrobial-Coated Medical Devices in a Biofilm Reactor
- Using In Vitro Continuous Culture of the Human Intestinal Microbiota to Evaluate Risk Associated with Bacterial Pathogen Contamination of Fecal Microbiota Transplantation Samples
- Comparative Methods Study for the Detection of Burkholderia cepacia Complex from Non-Sterile Pharmaceutical Products
- The Effect of Nanomaterials Used in Dentistry on Biofilm Formation and the Oral Microbiota
Resources for You
Contact Us
- NCTR
- National Center for Toxicological Research
Food and Drug Administration
3900 NCTR Rd
Jefferson, AR 72079
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Hours Available
- (870) 543-7121