Food Sources Harbor Antibiotic-Resistant Pathogens, Part 2: Antibiotic-resistant strains from food reservoirs at the local level can quickly disseminate, leading to worldwide public health risks

Abstract

Some foods serve as important reservoirs of antibiotic-resistant bacteria—from produce to seafood, livestock, and poultry, according to researchers who presented their findings during the 2015 ICAAC held in San Diego last September. These reservoirs expose food workers and consumers to pathogens, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), extended-spectrum β-lactamase Escherichia coli (ESBL-E. coli), and carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE). All these pathogens may be carried asymptomatically or can cause difficult-to-treat infections, some confined to the gastrointestinal tract, while others cause more invasive disease. Due to blurring of boundaries between local and global markets, local food production practices can lead to regional and even worldwide public health risks when contaminated foods disperse resistant strains to distant locations, experts warn.