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Human health risks associated with antimicrobial-resistant enterococci and Staphylococcus aureus on poultry meat.

Abstract
Enterococci and staphylococci are frequent contaminants on poultry meat. Enterococcus faecalis, Enterococcus faecium and Staphylococcus aureus are also well-known aetiological agents of a wide variety of infections resulting in major healthcare costs. This review provides an overview of the human health risks associated with the occurrence of these opportunistic human pathogens on poultry meat with particular focus on the risk of food-borne transmission of antimicrobial resistance. In the absence of conclusive evidence of transmission, this risk was inferred using data from scientific articles and national reports on prevalence, bacterial load, antimicrobial resistance and clonal distribution of these three species on poultry meat. The risks associated with ingestion of antimicrobial-resistant enterococci of poultry origin comprise horizontal transfer of resistance genes and transmission of multidrug-resistant E. faecalis lineages such as sequence type ST16. Enterococcus faecium lineages occurring in poultry meat products are distantly related to those causing hospital-acquired infections but may act as donors of quinupristin/dalfopristin resistance and other resistance determinants of clinical interest to the human gut microbiota. Ingestion of poultry meat contaminated with S. aureus may lead to food poisoning. However, antimicrobial resistance in the toxin-producing strains does not have clinical implications because food poisoning is not managed by antimicrobial therapy. Recently methicillin-resistant S. aureus of livestock origin has been reported on poultry meat. In theory handling or ingestion of contaminated meat is a potential risk factor for colonization by methicillin-resistant S. aureus. However, this risk is presently regarded as negligible by public health authorities.
AuthorsV Bortolaia, C Espinosa-Gongora, L Guardabassi
JournalClinical microbiology and infection : the official publication of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (Clin Microbiol Infect) Vol. 22 Issue 2 Pg. 130-140 (Feb 2016) ISSN: 1469-0691 [Electronic] England
PMID26706616 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Review)
CopyrightCopyright © 2015 European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Topics
  • Animals
  • Drug Resistance, Bacterial
  • Enterococcus faecalis (classification, genetics)
  • Enterococcus faecium (classification, genetics)
  • Food Microbiology
  • Gene Transfer, Horizontal
  • Humans
  • Livestock (microbiology)
  • Meat (microbiology)
  • Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (classification, genetics)
  • Poultry (microbiology)
  • Poultry Diseases (microbiology)

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