Transient Intestinal Carriage after Ingestion of Antibiotic-Resistant Enterococcus faecium from Chicken and Pork

• Published in: The New England journal of medicine Vol. 345; no. 16; pp. 1161 - 1166
• Main Authors: Sørensen, Thomas Lund, Blom, Marianne, Monnet, Dominique L, Frimodt-Møller, Niels, Poulsen, Rikke Lykke, Espersen, Frank
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Boston, MA Massachusetts Medical Society 18.10.2001
• Subjects: Adult; Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents - pharmacology; Antibacterial agents; Antibiotics; Antibiotics. Antiinfectious agents. Antiparasitic agents; Bacteria; Biological and medical sciences; Chickens - microbiology; Drug resistance; Drug Resistance, Microbial; Enterococcus faecium; Enterococcus faecium - drug effects; Enterococcus faecium - isolation & purification; Feces - microbiology; Female; Food; Humans; Intestines - microbiology; Male; Meat - microbiology; Medical sciences; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Swine - microbiology; Virginiamycin - pharmacology; Denmark; Human; Treatment resistance; Feeding; Ingestion; Pig; Digestive transit; Infection; Streptococcaceae; Enterococcus faecium; Vertebrata; Antibiotic; Mammalia; Risk factor; Bacteriosis; Bacteria; Micrococcales; Chicken; Artiodactyla; Aves; Antibacterial agent; Ungulata; Food
• ISSN: 0028-4793; 1533-4406
• DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa010692

Antibiotic-resistant organisms are often found in retail meats, but it has been unclear whether the ingestion of these organisms has any clinical consequences. Resistant strains of E. faecium obtained from raw chicken and pork were ingested by 12 healthy volunteers. Various concentrations of these strains were isolated from stool samples for up to two weeks. This study in 12 healthy volunteers proves that the consumption of resistant enterococci can lead to intestinal carriage of these organisms. The proportion of carriers of glycopeptide-resistant enterococcus species in the general population varies widely from country to country. Values range from 0 percent to a few percent in Sweden, the Netherlands, and the United States 1 – 3 ; 11.8 percent in France 4 ; and up to 28 percent in Belgium. 5 The reasons for the wide variation among countries are not obvious but are probably related to differences in selection pressure. These differences may stem from the use of antimicrobial agents to treat diseases in humans or to promote growth or prevent infection in animals used for food, with the acquisition of . . .