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Drug-resistant Salmonella from animals fed antimicrobials
The New England Journal of Medicine
|September 6, 1984
Summary
Antimicrobial-resistant Salmonella Newport infections in humans were linked to beef cattle fed subtherapeutic chlortetracycline. This highlights the risk of drug-resistant organisms from animal agriculture causing severe human illness.
Area of Science:
- Veterinary Medicine
- Infectious Diseases
- Public Health
Background:
- The transmission pathway from subtherapeutic antimicrobial use in animals to human infections is not well-documented.
- Antimicrobial resistance is a growing concern in both animal agriculture and human medicine.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the link between antimicrobial-resistant Salmonella Newport in humans and animal agriculture.
- To identify the source and transmission route of a specific drug-resistant Salmonella Newport strain.
Main Methods:
- Comparison of plasmid profiles of human and animal Salmonella Newport isolates.
- Analysis of meat distribution records.
- Review of patient medical histories regarding antimicrobial use.
Main Results:
- Identified 18 human cases of Salmonella Newport resistant to ampicillin, carbenicillin, and tetracycline.
- Determined that patients were infected by consuming hamburger from cattle fed subtherapeutic chlortetracycline.
- Found that patients were infected before taking antimicrobials for other conditions.
Conclusions:
- Antimicrobial-resistant organisms of animal origin can cause serious human illness.
- Prudent antimicrobial use in both humans and animals is crucial to mitigate public health risks.
- This study provides evidence for the postulated sequence of antimicrobial resistance transmission.