Antibiotic-resistant pathogens in broilers

Researchers find intestinal bacteria in healthy slaughtered chickens from Germany

07/11/2013

Worrying news about chicken and antibiotics is not abolishing - scientists from Hanover have been testing healthy slaughtered chickens from Germany and found antibiotic-resistant bacteria. These are intestinal bacteria (enterobacteria), which are the enzymes „Extended-Spectrum Beta-Lactamase“ (ESBL) as well „AmpC beta-lactamase“ (AmpC) produce, which in turn possess the ability, „so-called beta-lactam antibiotics and to give the bacteria an antibiotic-resistant property“, as the foundation of the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover (TiHo) writes in a recent press release.

Cecal and carcass samples from four different herds analyzed
For their study, the researchers from the Institute for Food Quality and Safety had the „University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover“ (TiHo) studied about 120 cecal and carcass samples from four different herds in several slaughterhouses - with the goal „to assess the prevalence of ESBL and AmpC producers in the chicken production chain in Germany in different species of the Enterobacteriaceae family“, the researchers in a recent article in the journal „Emerging Infectious Diseases“. The scientists had focused in particular on different broiler flocks at the time of slaughter, „to illustrate the introduction of enterobacteria during the slaughtering process and the transfer to the product“, write Felix Reich, Viktoria Atanassova and Günter Klein on.

Escherichia coli bacteria in more than half of the samples
The researchers came to a worrying conclusion because of the investigation „ESBL-producing bacteria were found in 88.6 percent of the skeletal samples and 72.5 percent of the cecal samples, and AmpC producers were found in 52.9 percent of the carcass samples and 56.9 percent of the blind arm samples“, which is in most cases around „Escherichia coli“ (abbreviated E. coli) acted - a bacterium, which occurs frequently in the human and animal intestine, in two samples in addition the researchers had „Enterobacter cloacae“ and „Proteus mirabilis“ found, so the information in the article.

Bacteria produce enzyme that can inactivate antibiotics
According to the scientists found in the AmpC and ESBL producing bacteria, these are therefore different intestinal bacteria (enterobacteria), „the different forms of the enzyme „Beta-lactamase“ produce - the peculiarity: this enzyme is capable, „so-called beta-lactam antibiotics and to give the bacteria an antibiotic-resistant property“, so the researchers in their article. The best-known representative of this group of antibiotics is penicillin - moreover, ESBL enzymes are also capable of inactivating beta-lactam antibiotics with a broader spectrum of activity.

broilers „Source for the dissemination of resistance in intestinal bacteria“
According to the scientists, the current study would „prove that healthy broilers in Germany are a source for the spread of transmissible resistance mechanisms in intestinal bacteria“ - At the same time, the treatment of animals with antibiotics is often heavily criticized because it endangers the success of treatment of infectious diseases in both human and veterinary medicine, as humans and animals no longer respond to antibiotics. Especially in clinics, doctors are increasingly fighting against multidrug-resistant germs, which may trigger illnesses that are difficult to treat. As a result, the Mediation Committee of the Bundestag and the Bundesrat recently decided to amend the Medicines Act (AMG), which should significantly reduce the permitted amount of antibiotics in livestock farming over the next few years.