Antimicrobial resistance associated with the use of antimicrobial processing aids during poultry processing operations: cause for concern?

Abstract

Antimicrobial resistance has become a global issue and a threat to human and animal health. Contamination of poultry carcasses with meat-borne pathogens represents both an economic and a public health concern. The use of antimicrobial processing aids (APA) during poultry processing has contributed to an improvement in the microbiological quality of poultry carcasses. However, the extensive use of these decontaminants has raised concerns about their possible role in the coselection of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. This topic is presented in the current review to provide an update on the information related to bacterial adaptation to APA used in poultry processing establishments, and to discuss the relationship between APA bacterial adaptation and the acquisition of a new resistance phenotype to therapeutic antimicrobials by bacteria. Common mechanisms such as active efflux and changes in membrane fluidity are the most documented mechanisms responsible for bacterial cross-resistance to APA and antimicrobials. Although most studies reported a bacterial resistance to antibiotics not reaching a clinical level, the under-exposure of bacteria to APA remains a concern in the poultry industry. Further research is needed to determine if APA used during poultry processing and therapeutic antimicrobials share common sites of action in bacteria and encounter similar mechanisms of resistance.

Role played by the environment in the emergence and spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) through the food chain

“…Several different clones of different MDR Salmonella serovars isolated by placing polystyrene mats beneath a poultry processing line were able to persist on surfaces for several weeks and showed substantial biofilm formation (Dantas et al., 2020), which supports longitudinal studies that have identified resident MDR Salmonella in the poultry slaughterhouse environment (Shang et al., 2019), as well as ineffective cleaning and disinfection of poultry transport crates (Moazzami et al., 2020). Persistent AMR and heavy metal resistant bacteria that have enhanced stress response characteristics and biochemical changes that compromise detection may be selected after exposure to biocides (Mourão et al., 2020; Rhouma et al., 2020). L. monocytogenes strains isolated from the poultry processing environment can also form biofilm, with benzalkonium chloride‐based cleaning programmes showing limited efficacy and exacerbating biofilm formation and AMR expression (Cadena et al., 2019; Rodríguez‐Campos et al., 2019; Puangseree et al., 2021).…”

Probing antimicrobial resistance and sanitizer tolerance themes and their implications for the food industry through the Listeria monocytogenes lens

“…Nutrient‐rich, standard laboratory media such as brain heart infusion (BHI) broth, tryptic soy agar/broth supplemented with yeast extract (TSA/B‐YE) or Mueller Hinton agar (MHA) are often used to study sanitizer efficacy (Kastbjerg & Gram, 2012). However, it is important to consider that nutrient‐rich media contain organic materials, leading to the inactivation of the active compounds in some sanitizers (e.g., chlorine‐based sanitizers; Rhouma et al., 2020; Teng et al., 2018). Additionally, microorganisms can exhibit different stress behaviors when tested in different media (Rantsiou et al., 2012).…”

Bacterial Stress Responses as Potential Targets in Overcoming Antibiotic Resistance

“…A high percentage of unsaturated fatty acids in the bacterial membrane affects cell viability under acidic conditions [ 80 ]. Furthermore, the changes in membrane fluidity and lipid composition can protect bacteria by reducing the permeability of acids and antibiotics [ 86 ].…”