Bovine colostrum and multidrug resistance: One Health Vision for human consumption

Abstract

One Health represents a holistic approach to understanding the interconnectedness of the human-animal-environment triad in the context of achieving health and well-being. In this context, surplus bovine colostrum (BC) not consumed by calves is important due to its potential nutritional value for human consumption. However, it is imperative to ensure their safety and quality to reach the market. It is important to reflect on the presence of pathogenic microorganisms and their multi-resistance to antimicrobials for use in animals and humans, which can have serious consequences for One Health. The objective here was to verify the susceptibility profile of bacteria found in BC and bovine colostrum silage to antibiotics. The strains studied cover the genera Escherichia spp., Klebsiella sp., Enterococcus sp., Staphylococcus spp. and Streptococcus sp.. Susceptibility tests were carried out using the Kirb & Bauer method following guidelines from BrCAST and CLSI (2023). Antibiotics evaluated included quinolones, penicillin, cephalosporins, carbapenems, β-lactamase inhibitors, polypeptides, aminoglycosides, glycopeptides, macrolides, oxalidinones, lincosamines, rifampins, and phenicols. Although the results indicate low overall resistance, the study highlights the presence of multi-resistant bacteria in raw BC and BC silage, highlighting the risk of transmission of these and their resistance genes to humans if rigorous processing measures are not carried out to mitigate the One Health risks.