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Retrospective analysis of Salmonella, Campylobacter, Escherichia coli, and Enterococcus in animal feed ingredients.

The presence and antimicrobial susceptibility of foodborne pathogens and indicator organisms in animal feed are not well understood. In this study, a total of 201 feed ingredient samples (animal byproducts, n=122; plant byproducts, n=79) were collected in 2002 and 2003 from representative rendering plants and the oilseed (or cereal grain) industry across the United States. The occurrence and antimicrobial susceptibility of four bacterial genera (Salmonella, Campylobacter, Escherichia coli, and Enterococcus) were determined.

Changes in antimicrobial susceptibility of native Enterococcus faecium in chickens fed virginiamycin.

The extent of transfer of antimicrobial resistance from agricultural environments to humans is controversial. To assess the potential hazard posed by streptogramin use in food animals, this study evaluated the effect of virginiamycin exposure on antimicrobial resistance in Enterococcus faecium recovered from treated broilers. Four consecutive broiler feeding trials were conducted using animals raised on common litter.

Identification of antimicrobial resistance and class 1 integrons in Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli recovered from humans and food animals.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to identify antimicrobial resistance and class 1 integrons among Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC).

Methods: Two-hundred and seventy-four STEC recovered from poultry, cattle, swine and humans were characterized by antimicrobial susceptibility testing, screened for the presence of class 1 integrons by PCR, and assayed for integron transfer by conjugation.

Results: Ninety-three (34%) of the isolates were resistant to streptomycin, followed by 89 (32%) to sulfamethoxazole, 83 (30%) to tetracycline, 48 (18%) to ampicillin, 29 (11%) to cefalothin, 22 (8%) to trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole, 18 (7%) to gentamicin, 13 (5%) to chloramphenicol and 10 (4%) to cefoxitin.

Distribution of streptogramin resistance determinants among Enterococcus faecium from a poultry production environment of the USA.

Objectives: The impact of agricultural use of antimicrobials on the present and future efficacy of therapeutic drugs in human medicine is a growing public concern. Quinupristin/dalfopristin has been approved to treat human disease caused by vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium and is related to virginiamycin, a streptogramin complex that has long been used in USA agriculture poultry production.

Methods: Streptogramin-resistant isolates of E.

Multiple-antibiotic resistance of Enterococcus spp. isolated from commercial poultry production environments.

The potential impact of food animals in the production environment on the bacterial population as a result of antimicrobial drug use for growth enhancement continues to be a cause for concern. Enterococci from 82 farms within a poultry production region on the eastern seaboard were isolated to establish a baseline of susceptibility profiles for a number of antimicrobials used in production as well as clinical environments. Of the 541 isolates recovered, Enterococcus faecalis (53%) and E.

Prevalence and antimicrobial resistance of enterococcus species isolated from retail meats.

From March 2001 to June 2002, a total of 981 samples of retail raw meats (chicken, turkey, pork, and beef) were randomly obtained from 263 grocery stores in Iowa and cultured for the presence of Enterococcus spp. A total of 1,357 enterococcal isolates were recovered from the samples, with contamination rates ranging from 97% of pork samples to 100% of ground beef samples. Enterococcus faecium was the predominant species recovered (61%), followed by E.

Antimicrobial resistance of Escherichia coli O26, O103, O111, O128, and O145 from animals and humans.

Susceptibilities to fourteen antimicrobial agents important in clinical medicine and agriculture were determined for 752 Escherichia coli isolates of serotypes O26, O103, O111, O128, and O145. Strains of these serotypes may cause urinary tract and enteric infections in humans and have been implicated in infections with Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC).

Antimicrobial resistance of foodborne pathogens.

Emergence of bacterial antimicrobial resistance has become a serious problem worldwide. While much of the resistance observed in human medicine is attributed to inappropriate use in humans, there is increasing evidence that antimicrobial use in animals selects for resistant foodborne pathogens that may be transmitted to humans as food contaminants.

Ciprofloxacin resistance in Campylobacter jejuni evolves rapidly in chickens treated with fluoroquinolones.

Fluoroquinolones are commonly used to treat gastroenteritis caused by Campylobacter species. Domestically acquired fluoroquinolone-resistant Campylobacter infection has been documented recently in the United States. It has been proposed that the increase in resistance is due, in part, to the use of fluoroquinolones in poultry.

Antimicrobial resistance of Escherichia coli O157 isolated from humans, cattle, swine, and food.

A total of 361 Escherichia coli O157 isolates, recovered from humans, cattle, swine, and food during the years 1985 to 2000, were examined to better understand the prevalence of antimicrobial resistance among these organisms. Based on broth microdilution results, 220 (61%) of the isolates were susceptible to all 13 antimicrobials tested. Ninety-nine (27%) of the isolates, however, were resistant to tetracycline, 93 (26%) were resistant to sulfamethoxazole, 61 (17%) were resistant to cephalothin, and 48 (13%) were resistant to ampicillin.

Incurred Arsenic Residues in Chicken Eggs.

Arsanilic acid and roxarsone were fed to laying hens at elemental arsenic concentrations of 14, 28, 56 or 112 ppm for 10 weeks followed by a 2-week withdrawal period. Arsenic residues in egg components of laying hens that were fed either control or diets treated with organic arsenicals were determined weekly by atomic absorption. Arsenic concentrations in eggs were also determined after either 0, 2 or 4 weeks of refrigerated storage (4°C).

Tissue Iodine in Sheep Fed Diets Containing Ethylenediamine Dihydriodide.

Twenty-four male lambs, produced by crossing commercial blackfaced ewes with purebred Suffolk rams and averaging 40.1 kg body wt., were fed one of two ethylenediamine dihydriodide (EDDI)-supplemented diets.