Phagovet

Antibiotic-resistant foodborne pathogens

The overuse and misuse of antibiotics in food-producing animals is becoming a serious global problem. Not only does it contribute to the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria on farms, but these resistant pathogens can also find their way from farm to table.

This is a public health concern because antibiotic resistance makes it difficult to effectively treat human infections. It is important that consumers are aware of this problem and advocate for alternatives to the use of antibiotics as growth promoters in agriculture.

These measures include improved sanitation and hygiene practices on farms and changes in husbandry practices, such as providing adequate space for animals to prevent overcrowding and the spread of infections.

By getting to the root of the problem, we can curb the spread of antibiotic-resistant pathogens from farm to table.

Authors Junhwan Kim and Juhee Ahn published the article Emergence and spread of antibiotic-resistant foodborne pathogens from farm to table on 1 September 2022.

Key points include:

  • Antibiotics are often used as growth promoters to improve the productivity and performance of food-producing animals, such as pigs, cattle and poultry.
  • The increasing use of antibiotics is of great concern due to the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria worldwide.
  • Food-producing animals are considered reservoirs for antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and residual antibiotics that move from farm to table.
  • The accumulation of residual antibiotics can lead to additional antibiotic resistance in bacteria.
  • This report assesses the risk of antibiotic resistance transfer and spread through the food chain and the potential food safety implications of antibiotic use in food-producing animals.
  • It also discusses in depth promising antibiotic alternatives such as vaccines, immunomodulators, phytochemicals, antimicrobial peptides, probiotics, and bacteriophages.
antibiotic resistant foodborne pathogens from farm to table

Abstract

Antibiotics have been overused and misused for preventive and therapeutic purposes. Specifically, antibiotics are frequently used as growth promoters for improving productivity and performance of food-producing animals such as pigs, cattle, and poultry.

The increasing use of antibiotics has been of great concern worldwide due to the emergence of antibiotic resistant bacteria.

Food-producing animals are considered reservoirs for antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and residual antibiotics that transfer from the farm through the table.

The accumulation of residual antibiotics can lead to additional antibiotic resistance in bacteria.

Therefore, this review evaluates the risk of carriage and spread of antibiotic resistance through food chain and the potential impact of antibiotic use in food-producing animals on food safety.

This review also includes in-depth discussion of promising antibiotic alternatives such as vaccines, immune modulators, phytochemicals, antimicrobial peptides, probiotics, and bacteriophages.

Keywords: Antibiotic alternative; Antibiotic resistance; Farm-to-table; Food safety; Food-producing animal; Residual antibiotic.

© The Korean Society of Food Science and Technology 2022, Springer Nature or its licensor holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.