The Problem of Antimicrobial Resistance in the Food Chain

140 Pages·2010·1.39 MB·English

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The Problem of Antimicrobial
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safefood
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The Problem of Antimicrobial
Resistance in the Food Chain
Publication date: April 2010
ISBN: 978-1-905767-10-6
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Table of Contents
Abbreviations 6
List of figures 8
List of tables 9
Acknowledgements 11
Executive summary
Background 13
Section 1
Introduction 17
What are antibiotics 17
What is antimicrobial resistance 17
Relevance to food producing animals and human health 22
Section 2
Antimicrobial agent use in food animals as a cause of human illness 25
Causative steps in antimicrobial resistance 25
Relationship between antimicrobial use in animals and human illness 35
The Problem of Antimicrobial Resistance in the Food Chain
Section 3
Antimicrobial resistance 37
Mechanisms of antimicrobial resistance 37
Effect of food processing technologies 42
Section 4
Specific organisms 45
Salmonella 45
VTEC 57
Campylobacter 63
MRSA 70
Clostridium difficile 72
Commensals 74
Non pathogenic E. coli 76
Probiotics added to food 76
Genetically modified organisms 80
Section 5
Food processing technologies 83
Evidence of increased resistance to food preservation stresses 83
Section 6
Sanitizing agents 85
Biocides 85
Section 7
Human health impact 91
Human health effects of antimicrobial resistance 91
Human antimicrobial resistance surveillance 94
Section 8
Solutions 95
Prudent use of antimicrobial agents 95
Need for on-going surveillance 96
Section 9
Recommendations 97
Section 10
Bibliography 99
Appendix 129
The Problem of Antimicrobial Resistance in the Food Chain
Abbreviations
AMR Antimicrobial Resistance
AMRAP Antimicrobial Resistance Action Plan
aw Water Activity
CDAD Clostridium difficile Associated Disease
CDC Centres for Disease Control and Prevention
CDSCNI Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre Northern Ireland
DAEC Diffuse adhering
DEFRA Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
DNA Deoxyribonucleic acid
EaggEC Enteroaggregative
EARSS European Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance System
ECDC European Centre for Disease Control
EFSA European Food Safety Authority
EIEC Enteroinvasive
ELISA Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay
EPEC Enteropathogenic
ESAC EU Surveillance of Antibiotic Consumption
ESBL Extended Spectrum ß-Lactamases
ETEC Enterotoxigenic
EU European Union
EUCAST European Committee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing
FAO Food and Agriculture Organisation
FSAI Food Safety Authority of Ireland
GMOs Genetically Modified Organisms
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GRAS Generally Regarded as Safe
H2S Hydrogen Sulphide
HPSC Health Protection Surveillance Centre
HUS Haemolytic ureamic syndrome
IFT Institute of Food Technologists
LAB Lactic Acid Bacteria
MAR Multiple Antibiotic Resistance
MATE Multi-drug and Toxic Compound Extrusions
MDR Mutli-Drug Resistant
MF Major Facilitator
MIC Minimum Inhibitory Concentration
MIC Minimum Inhibitory Concentration
MLSB Macrolides, Lincosamides and Streptogramins
MRS Methicillin-Resistant Strains
MRSA Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus
NDSC The National Disease Surveillance Centre
NI Northern Ireland
NRL National Reference Laboratory
OIE World Organisation for Animal Health
QAC Quaternary Ammonium Compound
QACs Quaternary Ammonium Compounds
RNA Ribonucleic acid
RND Resistance-Nodulation-Cell Division
ROI Republic of Ireland
SARI Strategy for the Control of Antimicrobial Resistance in Ireland
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The Problem of Antimicrobial Resistance in the Food Chain
SE Staphylococcal enterotoxin
SMR Small Multi-drug Resistance
UK United Kingdom
VRE Vancomycin Resistant Enterococci
VTEC Verocytotoxigenic Escherichia coli
WHO World Health Organisation

List of Figures
Figure 1 Mode of antibiotic action
Figure 2 Mechanisms of microbial resistance to antibiotics
Figure 3 Transferable antibiotic resistance mechanisms in bacteria
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