Action Under the NIH Guidelines for Research Involving Recombinant or Synthetic Nucleic Acid Molecules (NIH Guidelines)

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) considered a proposal to conduct research involving the deliberate transfer of a chloramphenicol resistance trait to Rickettsia typhi, conorii, rickettsii, and felis. The acquisition of this antibiotic resistance trait could possibly compromise the use of a class of antibiotics for the treatment of Rickettsia infections in humans. Under the NIH Guidelines (http://www.osp.od.nih.gov/sites/default/files/ NIH_Guidelines.html), these experiments can proceed only after they are reviewed by the NIH Recombinant DNA Advisory Committee (RAC) and specifically approved by the NIH Director as Major Actions. This proposal was discussed at the December 4, 2015, RAC meeting. The proposal was published in the Federal Register on December 29, 2015, (80 FR 81346) with a request for public comment; one comment was received. This notice announces the final NIH action regarding this proposal.