by Amanda Smith, Associate Editor
The data is mixed when it comes to antimicrobial resistance. While some livestock and retail meat sectors have gained ground compared to their previous five-year average, others have slid backward, as additional resistance has been detected.
Released last Monday, the National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System's (NARMS) 2011 Executive Report presented a mixed picture in antimicrobial resistance trends. NARMS collects samples from human, retail meat and animal components to track changes in the susceptibility of certain bacteria to antimicrobial agents that are of human and veterinary importance.
What follows are highlights from the NARMS report:
Salmonella: Ground beef had the lowest number of culture positive samples. A total of 3,725 non-typhodial Salmonella isolates were tested. Salmonella was isolated from 12 percent of ground turkey and retail chicken samples, along with 2 percent of pork chops and 1 percent of ground beef samples.
- In 2011, 85 percent of Salmonella isolated from humans had no resistance to any of the antibiotics tested. Bovine isolates (cattle and retail beef) were more likely to have no resistance to any antibiotic tested when compared to isolates from other food animal sources (see chart above).
- Among retail beef, the percentage of isolates with no resistance declined relative to the five-year average. At slaughter, the percent of isolates with no resistance has improved.
E. coli: 1,920 samples were tested for E. coli. Of these, 30.4 percent of pork chop, 44.8 percent of ground beef, 71 percent of retail chicken and 76.7 percent of ground turkey samples cultured positive in 2011.Compared to poultry, E. coli found on ground beef and pork chops was less likely to be resistant to antibiotics. As with the Salmonella data, multi-drug resistance among retail cattle (6 percent) and swine (9 percent) were at the lowest levels since testing began.
To see the NARMS full report, click here.
