Resistance to antimicrobial agents as a public health problem: importance of the use of antibiotics in animals

Pérez-Trallero, Emilio; Zigorraga, Carmen

doi:10.1016/0924-8579(95)00022-7

“…It is also a pathogen for many animal species including intensively farmed food-producing animals. Worldwide, the dramatic increase in the prevalence of antimicrobial-resistant S. aureus (Jacoby 1996;Jeljaszewicz et al 1998;Perez-Trallero and Zigorraga 1995) is receiving widespread attention due to multiresistant strains diminishing the usefulness of antibiotics in human medicine and thereby limiting therapeutic options (Ehlert 1999).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Characterization of drug-resistantStaphylococcus aureusisolated from poultry processing plants in Western Australia

Bertolatti

¹

,

O’Brien

²

,

Grubb

³

2003

International Journal of Environmental Health Research

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Poultry processing plants can provide a favourable environment for the survival and transmission of Staphylococcus aureus. It is known that infections due to antibiotic-resistant strains of S. aureus are an increasingly serious problem clinically and, since antibiotic exposure in food-animal species may lead to antibiotic-resistant bacteria, it is possible that processed poultry may constitute a reservoir for disseminating antibiotic-resistance into the community. The present study was undertaken to determine the prevalence of antimicrobial-resistant S. aureus in two poultry processing plants, and to characterize the isolates by antimicrobial susceptibility and chromosomal and plasmid DNA analysis. One hundred and twenty-six S. aureus were isolated from two poultry processing plants in Western Australia. All were sensitive to 14 of the 26 antimicrobials tested and all isolates were resistant to at least one antibiotic and one chemical marker, the prominent resistance combination being to penicillin and cadmium (89%). Forty-six (36.5%) of the isolates were resistant to six or more of the antimicrobial agents tested. Overall there were no consistent resistance patterns for the isolates and no consistent patterns were found between and within the two processing plants. There were 24 epidemiologically unrelated Sma1 contour-clamped homogeneous electric field (CHEF) groups and 17 different plasmid profiles detected among the isolates. All isolates were found to harbour from between one to seven plasmids. The majority of isolates carried at least one large plasmid (22-48 Kb), and one or more small plasmids (1-3 Kb). Some isolates with epidemiologically related CHEF patterns had similar plasmid profiles and resistance patterns.

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“…Streptomycin (Sm) has been widely applied for prophylactic and therapeutical purposes in human and veterinary medicine and as a phytosanitary agent [1,2]. Although the use of Sm has been restricted in many countries, applications at small scale still continue.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prevalence of streptomycin-resistance genes in bacterial populations in European habitats

VANOVERBEEK¹,

WELLINGTON²,

EGAN³

et al. 2002

FEMS Microbiology Ecology

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The prevalence of selected streptomycin (Sm)-resistance genes, i.e. aph (3''), aph (6)-1d, aph (6)-1c, ant (3'') and ant (6), was assessed in a range of pristine as well as polluted European habitats. These habitats included bulk and rhizosphere soils, manure from farm animals, activated sludge from wastewater treatment plants and seawater. The methods employed included assessments of the prevalence of the genes in habitat-extracted DNA by PCR, followed by hybridisation with specific probes, Sm-resistant culturable bacteria and exogenous isolation of plasmids carrying Sm-resistance determinants. The direct DNA-based analysis showed that aph (6)-1d genes were most prevalent in the habitats examined. The presence of the other four Sm-modifying genes was demonstrated in 58% of the tested habitats. A small fraction of the bacterial isolates (8%) did not possess any of the selected Sm-modifying genes. These isolates were primarily obtained from activated sludge and manure. The presence of Sm-modifying genes in the isolates often coincided with the presence of IncP plasmids. Exogenous isolation demonstrated the presence of plasmids of 40-200 kb in size harbouring Sm-resistance genes from all the environments tested. Most plasmids were shown to carry the ant (3'') gene, often in combination with other Sm-resistance genes, such as aph (3'') and aph (6)-1d. The most commonly found Sm-modifying gene on mobile genetic elements was ant (3''). Multiple Sm-resistance genes on the same genetic elements appeared to be the rule rather than the exception. It is concluded that Sm-resistance genes are widespread in the environmental habitats studied and often occur on mobile genetic elements and ant (3'') was most often encountered.

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“…Streptomycin (Sm) has been widely applied for prophylactic and therapeutical purposes in human and veterinary medicine and as a phytosanitary agent [1,2]. Although the use of Sm has been restricted in many countries, applications at small scale still continue.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prevalence of streptomycin-resistance genes in bacterial populations in European habitats

Overbeek¹,

Wellington

²

,

Egan

³

et al. 2002

FEMS Microbiology Ecology

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The prevalence of selected streptomycin (Sm)-resistance genes, i.e. aph (3''), aph (6)-1d, aph (6)-1c, ant (3'') and ant (6), was assessed in a range of pristine as well as polluted European habitats. These habitats included bulk and rhizosphere soils, manure from farm animals, activated sludge from wastewater treatment plants and seawater. The methods employed included assessments of the prevalence of the genes in habitat-extracted DNA by PCR, followed by hybridisation with specific probes, Sm-resistant culturable bacteria and exogenous isolation of plasmids carrying Sm-resistance determinants. The direct DNA-based analysis showed that aph (6)-1d genes were most prevalent in the habitats examined. The presence of the other four Sm-modifying genes was demonstrated in 58% of the tested habitats. A small fraction of the bacterial isolates (8%) did not possess any of the selected Sm-modifying genes. These isolates were primarily obtained from activated sludge and manure. The presence of Sm-modifying genes in the isolates often coincided with the presence of IncP plasmids. Exogenous isolation demonstrated the presence of plasmids of 40-200 kb in size harbouring Sm-resistance genes from all the environments tested. Most plasmids were shown to carry the ant (3'') gene, often in combination with other Sm-resistance genes, such as aph (3'') and aph (6)-1d. The most commonly found Sm-modifying gene on mobile genetic elements was ant (3''). Multiple Sm-resistance genes on the same genetic elements appeared to be the rule rather than the exception. It is concluded that Sm-resistance genes are widespread in the environmental habitats studied and often occur on mobile genetic elements and ant (3'') was most often encountered.

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Resistance to antimicrobial agents as a public health problem: importance of the use of antibiotics in animals

Cited by 13 publications

References 35 publications

Characterization of drug-resistantStaphylococcus aureusisolated from poultry processing plants in Western Australia

Characterization of drug-resistantStaphylococcus aureusisolated from poultry processing plants in Western Australia

Prevalence of streptomycin-resistance genes in bacterial populations in European habitats

Prevalence of streptomycin-resistance genes in bacterial populations in European habitats

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