Human health consequences of antimicrobial drug-resistant Salmonella and other foodborne pathogens

Abstract

There are several clinical and public health consequences associated with antimicrobial drug resistance in non-Typhi Salmonella species and other foodborne pathogens. If bacteria acquire resistance to clinically important antimicrobial drugs, early empirical treatment may fail, and there will be limitations in the choices of treatment after the establishment of microbial diagnosis. Drug-resistant gastrointestinal pathogens preferentially cause illness in persons receiving antimicrobial drugs for any medical condition. Consequently, emerging resistance in foodborne pathogens may result in increased burdens of illness and outbreaks in settings where patients are treated with antimicrobial drugs. Finally, resistance may be associated with increased virulence, and several epidemiological studies have demonstrated that infections with drug-resistant non-Typhi Salmonella serotypes and Campylobacter species are associated with excess mortality and morbidity. Mitigation of drug resistance in foodborne bacteria is likely to be of benefit for human health. © 2005 by the Infectious Diseases Society of America. All rights reserved.