Human Health Hazard from Antimicrobial-Resistant Enterococci in Animals and Food

• Published in: Clinical infectious diseases Vol. 43; no. 7; pp. 911 - 916
• Main Authors: Angulo, Frederick J., Heuer, Ole E., Hammerum, Anette M., Collignon, Peter, Wegener, Henrik C.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Chicago, IL The University of Chicago Press 01.10.2006; University of Chicago Press; Oxford University Press
• Subjects: Adaptation, Physiological; Animal Feed - microbiology; Animals; Animals, Domestic; Anti-Infective Agents - pharmacology; Antibiotic resistance; Antibiotics; Antimicrobials; Biological and medical sciences; Drug resistance; Drug Resistance, Bacterial - genetics; Enterococcus - drug effects; Enterococcus - genetics; Enterococcus - pathogenicity; Enterococcus - physiology; Enterococcus faecium; Food safety; Foodborne illnesses; Gene Transfer Techniques; Genes; Gram-positive bacteria; Hazardous Substances; Health and wellness; Health hazards; Hospitals; Host specificity; Human exposure; Humans; Infectious diseases; Medical sciences; Enterococcus; Human; Infection; Streptococcaceae; Farming animal; Bacteria; Micrococcales; Antimicrobial agent
• ISSN: 1058-4838; 1537-6591
• DOI: 10.1086/507534

The use of antimicrobial agents in the modern farm industry has created a reservoir of resistant bacteria in food animals. Foods of animal origin are often contaminated with enterococci that are likely to contribute resistance genes, virulence factors, or other properties to enterococci IN humans. The potential hazard to human health from antimicrobial-resistant enterococci in animals is questioned by some scientists because of evidence of host specificity of enterococci. Similarly, the occurrences of specific nosocomial clones of enterococci in hospitals have lead to the misconception that antimicrobial-resistant animal enterococci should be disregarded as a human health hazard. On the basis of review of the literature, we find that neither the results provided by molecular typing that classify enterococci as host-specific organisms nor the occurrence of specific nosocomial clones of enterococci provide reasons to change the current view that antimicrobial-resistant enterococci from animals pose a threat to human health. On the contrary, antimicrobial resistance genes appear to spread freely between enterococci from different reservoirs, irrespective of their apparent host association.