During the last decade, antimicrobial resistance in bacteria from food-producing animals has become a major research topic. In this review, different emerging resistance properties related to bacteria of food-producing animals are highlighted. These include: extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae; carbapenemase-producing bacteria; bovine respiratory tract pathogens, such as Pasteurella multocida and Mannheimia haemolytica, which harbor the multiresistance mediating integrative and conjugative element ICEPmu1; Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria that carry the multiresistance gene cfr; and the occurrence of numerous novel antimicrobial resistance genes in livestock-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. The emergence of the aforementioned resistance properties is mainly based on the exchange of mobile genetic elements that carry the respective resistance genes.

Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica plays a role as a foodborne pathogen worldwide. The consumption of contaminated pork has been associated with human salmonellosis and the increase in antimicrobial resistance among Salmonella from pigs and pork products is a concern. A total of 225 Salmonella isolates from feed mills, the lairage environment, and the intestinal contents of pigs and carcasses were investigated for their antimicrobial susceptibility. A MIC for ciprofloxacin was screened by agar dilution, and antimicrobial resistance genes were investigated by PCR assays. Among the tested isolates, 171 (76%) showed resistance to at least one antimicrobial agent, and 91 (40.4%) were multiresistant. Resistance occurred most frequently to tetracycline (54.5%), sulfonamides (39.6%), and streptomycin (33.7%). Thirty-two (94.1%) nalidixic acid-resistant isolates exhibited decreased susceptibility to ciprofloxacin. The resistance genes found were blaTEM (ampicillin), tet(A) (tetracycline), tet(B) (tetracycline/minocycline), sul1, sul2, and sul3 (sulfonamides), catA1 (chloramphenicol), floR (florfenicol/chloramphenicol), strA and strB (streptomycin), aph(3')-Ia (kanamycin), aac(3)-IIa and aac(3)-IVa (apramycin/gentamicin), aadA variant (streptomycin/spectinomycin), and dfrA1 (trimethoprim). Salmonella isolates from pig feces and carcasses displayed a higher frequency of resistance to most antimicrobials tested than isolates from feed mills. Common resistance gene profiles were found in isolates from the lairage and the intestinal content of pigs and carcasses, demonstrating that resistance genes selected on farms may be found in pork.

Listeria monocytogenes is an important agent of foodborne diseases. The results of this study suggest a potential capacity of L. monocytogenes isolates from food and food environment to cause human infections. Antimicrobial multi-resistance profiles were detected in 10%, and two isolates harboured tetM and ermB resistance genes. Moreover, the present research can help to build up a better knowledge about antimicrobial resistance of L. monocytogenes. Additionally, we found one isolate carrying tetM resistance gene in a plasmid, that suggests a possible transmission between commensal and/or other pathogenic bacteria of food environment, thereby raising up concerns regarding bacterial resistance.

The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of thermophilic Campylobacter in the broiler production chain of southern Brazil, by evaluating broiler farms and slaughter line samples, and to determine the genetic diversity, antimicrobial resistance, and virulence genes of the isolates. Of the 140 samples investigated in this study, 75 (53.6%) were positive for thermophilic Campylobacter, and all isolates were identified by phenotypic and molecular tests as C. jejuni. The resistance to nalidixic acid was the most common (74%), followed by resistance to enrofloxacin (67.3%) and ciprofloxacin (37.1%). However, there was no resistance to the macrolides tested which are recommended for the treatment of human campylobacteriosis. The PFGE showed that the isolates were grouped in eight macrorestriction patterns (P1 to P8). A representative isolate of each macrorestriction pattern was investigated for the presence of virulence genes and all isolates carried the cadF, ciaB, cdtA, cdtB, cdtC, and flaA genes. The dnaJ gene was detected in 87.5% (7/8) of the isolates. The flhA and racR genes were detected in 75% (6/8), while the pldA gene was present in 62.5% (5/8) and the wlaN gene in 25% (2/8). The presence of C. jejuni in broiler farms and in the slaughterhouse is a hazard to consumer given that this pathogen can be maintained throughout the broiler production chain and contaminates the final product. Moreover, the presence of the major virulence genes in the isolates demonstrates that they have the ability to develop campylobacteriosis in humans.