Europe: Gut-affecting bacteria are resistant to common antibiotics, finds report
A new report issued by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has revealed that common gut-affecting bacteria, including Salmonella and Campylobacter, are resistant to commonly used antimicrobials with increasing frequency.
A new report issued by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has revealed that common gut-affecting bacteria, including Salmonella and Campylobacter, are resistant to commonly used antimicrobials with increasing frequency.
“Antimicrobial resistance is one of the greatest threats we face worldwide, affecting humans, animals, and the environment,” said ECDC and EFSA chief scientists Mike Catchpole and Carlos Das Neves in a joint statement.
They added, "In our work, we embody the One Health approach, recognising the close links and interdependence of the health of humans, animals, plants, and the wider environment," while emphasising the importance of collaboration in addressing this complex problem.
Noting that there were encouraging trends in several countries, where an increasing proportion of bacteria from food-producing animals was susceptible to all tested antimicrobials, the report observed that the prevalence of Extended-spectrum Beta-lactamases (ESBLs) and AmpC beta-lactamases (AmpC) producing E. coli is decreasing.
The report further noted that the resistance of Salmonella to ampicillin and tetracycline is decreasing in humans in several countries over the period 2013–2021, particularly evident in S. Typhimurium, a type of Salmonella commonly associated with pigs and calves, which is often multidrug-resistant.
Although the report noted that resistance to erythromycin of Campylobacter jejuni in humans and chickens is decreasing, it also noted that resistance to ciprofloxacin of S. Enteritidis and C. jejuni, which cause salmonellosis and campylobacteriosis infections in humans, is increasing.
Because carbapenems are a last-resort antimicrobial class, the report emphasises that any findings of resistance to these in zoonotic bacteria are concerning and should be taken seriously.
According to the report, the level of ciprofloxacin resistance in Campylobacter is now so high that this antimicrobial cannot be recommended for the treatment of severe Campylobacter infections in humans.
