Antimicrobial resistance of thermotolerant Campylobacter spp. as a food safety issue

Abstract

Antimicrobial resistance is a daunting public health threat impacting both human and animal health and it is a cause for concern wherever antimicrobial agents are in use. The usage of antimicrobial drugs in food producing animals could results in significant food safety issue - antimicrobial resistance among zoonotic bacteria in these animals. Resistance monitoring program still does not exist in Serbia, so we made a pilot program to screen the situation in our abattoirs. We found similar situation like the one in EU. The resistance to one or more antimicrobial drugs was found in 40.00% and 75.32% Campylobacter spp. strains isolated from poultry and pig carcasses, respectively. Fluoroquinolones are anitmicrobial drugs which, beside beta-lactams, are most often used in poultry breeding. Fluoroquinolones are also very important for treatment of some human diseases. We examined relationship between presence of fluoroquinolone resistant C. jejuni in poultry carcasses and fluoroquinolone treatment of poultry. Treatment with one of this antimicrobials - enrofloxacine selects resistant strains in chickens carcasses, C. jejuni strains resistant to enrofloxacine were isolated from all livers (100%) and 70% carcasses. The resistant bacteria may then be transmitted to humans through food supply and increase the risk of treatment failures. Resistant zoonotic pathogens in food have to be controlled through a complete, continuous farm-to-fork system.Rezistencija prema antimikrobnim lekovima je znacajna pretnja javnom zdravlju koja utice kako na zdravlje ljudi tako i na zdravlje zivotinja i mora se imati u vidu pri svakoj upotrebi ovih lekova. Upotreba antimikrobnih lekova kod zivotinja namenjenih za proizvodnju hrane moze predstavljati vazno pitanje bezbednosti hrane jer dovodi do pojave rezistencije zoonotskih bakterija kod zivotinja. Program monitoringa rezistencije jos uvek nije uveden u Srbiji, tako da je nas Institut napravio pilot program da bi se stekao uvid u situaciju u nasim klanicama. Ustanovljena je situacija slicna onoj u Evropskoj Uniji. Rezistencija prema jednom ili vise antimikrobnih lekova je ustanovljena kod 40,00 i 75,32% Campylobacter sojeva izolovanih sa trupova zivine i svinja. Fluorohinoloni su antimikrobni lekovi koji se pored beta-laktama najcesce koriste u uzgoju zivine i svinja kod nas, oni su takodje veoma znacajni za lecenje pojedinih oboljenja ljudi. Ispitana je veza izmedju prisustva sojeva C. jejuni rezistentnih prema fluorohinolonima na trupovima zivine i lecenja zivine ovim lekovima. Lecenje jednim od lekova iz ove grupe - enrofloksacinom je dovelo do selekcije rezistentnih sojeva na trupovima zivine, rezistentni sojevei C. jejuni su izolovani iz svih jetri (100%) i sa 70% trupova. Rezistentni sojevi zoonotskih bakterija mogu putem lanca hrane biti preneseni do coveka i povecati rizik od neuspelog lecenja. Kontrola ovih sojeva je moguca jedino kroz kompletan i kontinuiran nadzor od farme do trpeze. PR Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. TR31071