Category Archives: Antibiotic Resistance

UK – FSA – Understanding antimicrobial resistance in foodborne pathogens

Posted on November 23, 2023 by | Leave a comment

Gov UK

Our IID3 project will include an assessment of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in bacterial pathogens; the first IID project to do so. A better understanding of AMR in foodborne pathogens will support our contribution to the UK’s AMR National Action Plan.

Some bacteria that cause food poisoning are antimicrobial resistant (AMR). This means that antibiotics are ineffective, and infections are difficult or impossible to treat. Addressing the challenge of AMR and strengthening our knowledge about its implications, the bacteria that are most resistant and the antibiotics that they are resistant to, is crucial. If left unchecked, the increase of AMR could lead to the risk of disease being spread. Through projects such as IID3, we are able to learn more about AMR in foodborne pathogens with the aim of supporting work to prevent the spread.

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Posted in AMR, Antibiotic Resistance, antimicrobial resistance, carbapenem resistance, Colistin Resistant, Disinfection Resistance, Drug Resistance, drug resistant, Extensively Drug Resistant (XDR), Multi Drug Resistant

New Zealand Research – Superbugs: how you can help fight back

Posted on November 19, 2023 by | Leave a comment

MPI

New Zealand Food Safety is fighting back against superbugs – antimicrobial resistance (AMR) – and we need your help.

“The World Health Organization has identified AMR as one of the top 10 global health threats facing humanity,” says New Zealand Food Safety deputy director-general Vincent Arbuckle.

“World Antimicrobial Awareness Week, which begins tomorrow, recognises that this serious issue will need a global effort to manage. This year’s theme is ‘preventing antimicrobial resistance together’.”

AMR occurs when microbes, or germs, develop resistance to medicines, such as antibiotics. Antimicrobial medicines are critical to human, animal, and plant health, as well as the environment, but they lose effectiveness over time if they are not properly handled and disposed of.

“Antibiotic medicines are essential to the health of humans, animals, and plants. If they are not used properly, diseases can develop resistance, which makes the medicine less effective,” says Mr Arbuckle.

“Everyone has a role to play to ensure the appropriate use and disposal of antibiotics in their care to prevent the spread of AMR in humans, animals, plants, and the environment.

“New Zealand Food Safety works to reduce AMR risks in domestic animals, livestock and plants with a dedicated team that works with the New Zealand veterinary and primary industry sectors to promote careful use of antibiotics and encourage infection prevention strategies such as good hygiene and vaccination, and undertake surveillance for resistance in bacteria collected from animal samples.”

Here’s what pet owners and livestock farmers can do to help reduce the risk:

  • Take measures to keep animals healthy, such as keeping up them up to date with vaccinations and using good hygiene and biosecurity.
  • If antibiotics are needed, closely follow the instructions outlined by your veterinarian. Make sure you give the correct dose, at the right time of day, and for the prescribed duration.
  • Wash your hands after dosing and handling animals.
  • Make sure your animal completes the prescribed course. If for some reason you are unable to complete the course, let your veterinarian know so they can help you.
  • Never keep antibiotics for future use because each infection and animal need unique treatment.
  • Dispose of the empty containers appropriately to help keep the environment safe.

“In further good news, our 2022 Antibiotic agricultural compound sales analysis shows quantities of antibiotics used in animals have been declining for the last 5 years, with a 23% reduction. However we need to continue our efforts to preserve the effectiveness of lifesaving medicines,” says Mr Arbuckle.

Media release: Sales of antibiotics used in animals and plants down by nearly a quarter

New Zealand Food Safety takes a One Health approach to AMR, working closely with the Ministry of Health including on the joint New Zealand antimicrobial resistance action plan – with an updated plan due for publication in 2024.

New Zealand antimicrobial resistance action plan [PDF, 836KB] 

Find out more

For further information and general enquiries, call MPI on 0800 00 83 33 or email info@mpi.govt.nz

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Posted in Antibiotic Resistance, antimicrobial resistance, Antimicrobials, Food Microbiology Research, Research, Superbugs

Research – Prevalence of Multidrug-Resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa Isolated from Dairy Cattle, Milk, Environment, and Workers’ Hands

Posted on November 15, 2023 by | Leave a comment

MDPI

Abstract

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic pathogen causing severe infection in animals and humans. This study aimed to determine the ecological distribution and prevalence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) P. aeruginosa isolated from dairy cattle, the environment, and workers’ hand swabs. Samples (n = 440) were collected from farms and households (n = 3, each). Rectal swabs, udder skin swabs, milk, workers’ hand swabs, feed, water, water sources, and beddings were collected. Samples were subjected to the bacterial identification of P. aeruginosa via 16S rRNA. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) was detected either phenotypically using an antibiotic susceptibility test or genotypically with AMR resistance genes (ARGs) such as drfA, sul1, and ermB. P. aeruginosa was detected on dairy farms and households (10.3–57.5%, respectively), with an average of 23.2%. The resistance of dairy farm strains was observed against sulfamethoxazole, imipenem, cefepime, piperacillin–tazobactam, and gentamycin (100%, 72.7%, 72.7%, 68.8%, and 63.3%, respectively). Meanwhile, the resistance of household strains was observed against sulfamethoxazole, imipenem, amoxicillin, gentamicin, cefepime, and erythromycin by 91.3%, 82.6%, 75.4%, 75.4%, 68.1%, and 63.8%, respectively. The susceptibility of farm strains was detected against norfloxacin, ciprofloxacin, and levofloxacin (90.9%, 84.8%, and 72.7%, respectively). Meanwhile, the susceptibility of household strains was detected against ciprofloxacin, amikacin, and norfloxacin (100%, 84.1%, and 72.5%, respectively). About 81.4% of P. aeruginosa strains were MDR. ARGs (drfA, sul1, and ermB) were detected in farm strains (48.5%, 72.7%, and 24.4%, respectively) and household strains (50.7%, 72.5%, and 47.8%, respectively). Almost all P. aeruginosa had MAR over 0.2, indicating repeated application of antibiotics. P. aeruginosa prevalence was fivefold higher in households than on farms. MDR strains were higher amongst household strains than farm strains.

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Posted in Antibiotic Resistance, antimicrobial resistance, Antimicrobials, Decontamination Microbial, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Pseudomonas, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Research

What are Extensively Drug Resistant (XDR) Bacteria?

Posted on November 15, 2023 by | Leave a comment

News Medical

Resistance to antimicrobial agents is a growing and worrying phenomenon. Extensively drug-resistant bacteria, or XDR bacteria, are a type of multidrug-resistant organisms that are resistant to almost all or all approved antimicrobial agents.

The origin of XDR bacteria

The term was first coined in response to Mycobacterium tuberculosis that was resistant to first-line agents (isoniazid and rifampicin), a fluoroquinolone, and to one or more second-line parenteral drugs (amikacin, kanamycin, and capreomycin). This was later expanded to include other bacteria that were resistant to most standard antimicrobial treatments.

Defining XDR bacteria

XDR bacteria are different from multidrug-resistant bacteria and pan-drug resistant bacteria. The difference is mainly interpreted as to what extent the bacteria are drug-resistant, with multidrug-resistant bacteria being unsusceptible to one or more antimicrobial agents and pan-drug resistant bacteria being unsusceptible to all antimicrobial agents.

Therefore, XDR bacteria rest somewhere in between these two categories. Occasionally, definitions are based on broader categories of antimicrobials rather than agents, which therefore narrows the bacteria fitting the description. However, this system is often seen as more informative by healthcare professionals treating afflicted patients with various antimicrobial classes.

Read more at the link above

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Posted in Antibiotic Resistance, Extensively Drug Resistant (XDR), Food Microbiology Research, Research, XDR

Canada – Outbreak of extensively drug-resistant Salmonella infections linked to raw pet food and contact with cattle

Posted on November 14, 2023 by | Leave a comment

PHAC

The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) is collaborating with provincial public health partners, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and Health Canada to investigate an outbreak of extensively drug-resistant (XDR) Salmonella infections in six provinces.

Many of the individuals who became sick are children 5 years of age or younger. Illnesses associated with this outbreak strain may be difficult to treat with commonly recommended antibiotics, if antibiotic treatment is needed.

The outbreak is ongoing, as recent illnesses continue to be reported to PHAC.

Based on the investigation findings to date, two sources have been identified:

  • Exposure to raw meat prepared for pets (raw pet food) has been identified as a likely source for some of the illnesses reported in this outbreak. Some of the individuals who became sick reported exposure to raw pet food, or to dogs fed raw pet food, before their illnesses occurred. A single common supplier of raw pet food has not been identified.
  • Contact with cattle, particularly calves, has also been identified as a likely source for some of the illnesses reported in the outbreak.

The outbreak investigation is ongoing and it’s possible that additional sources may be identified.

The outbreak is a reminder that Salmonella bacteria can be found in raw pet food and in many species of animals, including dogs and cattle. Always use safe food handling practices when preparing, cooking, or storing raw pet food to prevent illness. Practice good hand hygiene and frequent handwashing after contact with dogs fed raw pet food, cattle, and their environments.

The outbreak strain of Salmonella that made people sick has been found in raw pet food from the home of an ill individual. If contaminated, raw pet food can also make your pets sick. Infected pets can also spread bacteria, like Salmonella, to individuals they are in contact with, even if they do not show any signs of illness. This outbreak strain of Salmonella has also been found in sick dogs and cattle, and some of these animals have died. This public health notice will be updated as the investigation evolves.

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Posted in Animal Feed Salmonella, Antibiotic Resistance, food bourne outbreak, foodborne outbreak, outbreak, Pet Food Illness, Pet Food Salmonella, raw pet food, Salmonella

Research – Resistant Salmonella infections linked to worse outcomes

Posted on October 19, 2023 by | Leave a comment

CIDRAP

kswfoodworld Salmonella

Infections caused by Salmonella with any antibiotic resistance are associated with more severe clinical outcomes, including hospitalization and death, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) researchers reported yesterday in Clinical Infectious Diseases.

Using epidemiologic data from the Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network (FoodNet) and antimicrobial resistance data from the National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System (NARMS), researchers from the CDC’s Division of Foodborne, Waterborne, and Environmental Diseases examined outcomes in patients with nontyphoidal Salmonella infections from 2004 through 2018. They compared outcomes for resistant Salmonella infections with those caused by non-resistant Salmonella before and after adjusting for age, state, race/ethnicity, international travel, outbreak association, and isolate serotype or source.

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Posted in Animal Feed, Antibacterial, Antibiotic Resistance, antimicrobial resistance, Antimicrobials, CDC, Food Microbiology Research, Research, Salmonella

Research – Comparison of Antibacterial Activity of Phytochemicals against Common Foodborne Pathogens and Potential for Selection of Resistance

Posted on October 8, 2023 by | Leave a comment

MDPI

Abstract

Antimicrobial resistance is now commonly observed in bacterial isolates from multiple settings, compromising the efficacy of current antimicrobial agents. Therefore, there is an urgent requirement for efficacious novel antimicrobials to be used as therapeutics, prophylactically or as preservatives. One promising source of novel antimicrobial chemicals is phytochemicals, which are secondary metabolites produced by plants for numerous purposes, including antimicrobial defence. In this report, we compare the bioactivity of a range of phytochemical compounds, testing their ability to directly inhibit growth or to potentiate other antimicrobials against Salmonella enterica Typhimurium, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Listeria monocytogenes, and Staphylococcus aureus. We found that nine compounds displayed consistent bioactivity either as direct antimicrobials or as potentiators. Thymol at 0.5 mg/mL showed the greatest antimicrobial effect and significantly reduced the growth of all species, reducing viable cell populations by 66.8%, 43.2%, 29.5%, and 70.2% against S. enterica Typhimurium, S. aureus, P. aeruginosa, and L. monocytogenes, respectively. Selection of mutants with decreased susceptibility to thymol was possible for three of the pathogens, at a calculated rate of 3.77 × 10−8, and characterisation of S. enterica Typhimurium mutants showed a low-level MDR phenotype due to over-expression of the major efflux system AcrAB-TolC. These data show that phytochemicals can have strong antimicrobial activity, but emergence of resistance should be evaluated in any further development.

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Posted in Antibacterial, Antibiotic Resistance, antifungal, antimicrobial resistance, Antimicrobials, Drug Resistance, Food Microbiology Research, Food Pathogen, Pathogen, pathogenic, Research

Research – 2020 NARMS Update: Integrated Report Summary

Posted on August 17, 2023 by | Leave a comment

FDA

The National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System (NARMS) is a U.S. public health monitoring system that tracks antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in foodborne and other intestinal bacteria using a One Health approach. As outlined in the NARMS Strategic Plan: 2021-2025, the overall purpose of NARMS is to:

  • Monitor trends in antimicrobial resistance among enteric bacteria from humans, retail meats, and animals at the time of slaughter;
  • Disseminate timely information on antimicrobial resistance in pathogenic and commensal microorganisms to stakeholders in the U.S. and abroad to promote interventions that reduce resistance among foodborne bacteria;
  • Conduct research to better understand the emergence, persistence, and spread of antimicrobial resistance;
  • Provide timely antimicrobial resistance data for outbreak investigations; and
  • Provide data that assist the FDA in making decisions related to the approval of safe and effective antimicrobial drugs for animals.

NARMS gathers surveillance data from human clinical samples, animal slaughter samples and retail meat samples. This approach to integrated surveillance provides information needed to assess the nature and magnitude of resistance in bacteria moving through the food supply and causing illnesses in humans. The NARMS interactive data dashboards found below allow the user to explore data in different ways.

To learn how to access NARMS data via NARMS Now: Integrated Data, please view this tutorial.

Note: Users who create their own estimates using these data should cite the National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System (NARMS) as the source of the original data. The data in these tables and displays are not confidential. Additional information on sampling and testing methodologies can be found on the NARMS Resources webpage.

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Posted in Antibiotic Resistance, antimicrobial resistance, NARMS

Research – Is Legionella Bacteria Becoming Antibiotic Resistant?

Posted on July 4, 2023 by | Leave a comment

Legionella Control

In this article the water safety specialists at Legionella Control International look at the role of antibiotics in protecting humans against pathogenic organisms, paying particular attention to waterborne bacteria including Pseudomonas aeruginosa and legionella.

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Posted in Antibiotic Resistance, Contaminated water, Decontamination Microbial, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Legionella, Legionnaires’ disease, microbial contamination, Microbial growth, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, Water, water microbiology, Water Safety

UK – Polish meat giant supplied superbug-infected chicken to UK shelves

Posted on June 21, 2023 by | Leave a comment

The Bureau Investigates

A major meat supplier to UK supermarkets is sourcing chickens dosed with antibiotics linked to the spread of deadly superbugs, raising the risk of future outbreaks of life-threatening disease, the Bureau of Investigative Journalism can reveal.

The Polish meat giant SuperDrob is sourcing chicken from factory farms that use medicines classified as “critically important” to human health, despite the grave risk this poses to consumers. SuperDrob sells frozen poultry products to Lidl, Asda and Iceland.

The company was linked to a fatal salmonella outbreak in 2020 – which TBIJ can now reveal involved bacteria resistant to multiple drugs – and there were at least 15 salmonella contaminations linked to SuperDrob poultry in the 18 months that followed.

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Posted in Antibiotic Resistance, Food Illness, Foodborne Illness, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, Illness, outbreak, Polish Chicken Salmonella, Salmonella, Salmonella in Chicken, Salmonella Poland