Human Health Hazards from Antimicrobial-Resistant Escherichia coli of Animal Origin

• Published in: Clinical infectious diseases Vol. 48; no. 7; pp. 916 - 921
• Main Authors: Hammerum, Anette M., Heuer, Ole E.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford The University of Chicago Press 01.04.2009; University of Chicago Press; Oxford University Press
• Subjects: Animals; Animals, Domestic - microbiology; Anti-Bacterial Agents - therapeutic use; Antibiotic resistance; Antimicrobials; Bacteria; Biological and medical sciences; Cattle; Drug resistance; Drug Resistance, Bacterial; E coli; Escherichia coli; Escherichia coli - drug effects; Escherichia coli - isolation & purification; Escherichia coli Infections - microbiology; Escherichia coli Infections - transmission; Food safety; Hazardous Substances; Health hazards; Humans; Infections; Infectious diseases; Intestines; Meats; Medical sciences; Zoonoses - microbiology; Zoonoses - transmission; Human; Infection; Escherichia coli; Animal origin; Bacteria; Antimicrobial agent; Enterobacteriaceae
• ISSN: 1058-4838; 1537-6591
• DOI: 10.1086/597292

Because of the intensive use of antimicrobial agents in food animal production, meat is frequently contaminated with antimicrobial-resistant Escherichia coli. Humans can be colonized with E. coli of animal origin, and because of resistance to commonly used antimicrobial agents, these bacteria may cause infections for which limited therapeutic options are available. This may lead to treatment failure and can have serious consequences for the patient. Furthermore, E. coli of animal origin may act as a donor of antimicrobial resistance genes for other pathogenic E. coli. Thus, the intensive use of antimicrobial agents in food animals may add to the burden of antimicrobial resistance in humans. Bacteria from the animal reservoir that carry resistance to antimicrobial agents that are regarded as highly or critically important in human therapy (e.g., aminoglycosides, fluoroquinolones, and third- and fourth-generation cephalosporins) are of especially great concern.