The Persistence of Fluoroquinolone-Resistant Campylobacter in Poultry Production

Abstract

BackgroundThe use of antibiotics in food animal production has been associated with antibiotic-resistant infections in humans. In 2005, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) banned fluoroquinolone use in U.S. poultry production in order to reduce the prevalence of fluoroquinolone-resistant Campylobacter. Little is known about the potential efficacy of this policy.ObjectivesOur primary objective was to follow temporal changes in the prevalence of fluoroquinolone-resistant Campylobacter among poultry products from two conventional producers who announced their cessation of fluoroquinolone use in 2002 (3 years before the FDA’s ban). Our secondary objective was to compare, over time, the prevalence of fluoroquinolone-resistant Campylobacter in conventional poultry products to those from producers who claim to use no antibiotics.MethodsWe collected poultry samples from two conventional producers and three antibiotic-free producers over the course of 20 weeks in 2004 (n = 198) and 15 weeks in 2006 (n = 210). We compared the rates of fluoroquinolone resistance among Campylobacter isolates from the different producers.ResultsWe found no significant change in the proportion of fluoroquinolone-resistant Campylobacter isolates from the two conventional producers over the study period. In addition, Campylobacter strains from the two conventional producers were significantly more likely to be fluoroquinolone resistant than those from the antibiotic-free producers.ConclusionsThe results from this study indicate that fluoroquinolone-resistant Campylobacter may be persistent contaminants of poultry products even after on-farm fluoroquinolone use has ceased. The FDA’s ban on fluoroquinolones in poultry production may be insufficient to reduce resistant Campylobacter in poultry products.

Effects of Therapeutical and Reduced Levels of Antibiotics on the Fraction of Antibiotic-Resistant Strains of Escherichia coli in the Chicken Gut

“…The recovery period of 6 days is more than would be expected based on the finding that prolonged treatment with a dose that initially killed Staphylococcus aureus more than 4 10 log was no longer effective after 5 days (Tam et al, 2007). The quick reduction of enrofloxacin resistance that we found after treatment had ended contrasts strongly with the long-term persistence after the ban of fluoroquinolone use in the United States (Price et al, 2007). In the in vivo experiments reported here, resistance against enrofloxacin was easily reverted after short-term exposure.…”

Impact of Rurality, Broiler Operations, and Community Socioeconomic Factors on the Risk of Campylobacteriosis in Maryland

“…In the U.S., Gupta et al (2004) Campylobacter may persist even after on-farm use of fluoroquinolones has ceased. (Price, 2007) Antimicrobial resistance may also be linked to the method of animal production.…”

Prevalence of Multidrug-Resistant (MDR) Salmonella enteritidis in Poultry and Backyard Chicken from Tiruchirappalli, India

“…Intensive medicated feed production for poultry can potentially provide a suitable environment for the proliferation of antibiotic resistant bacteria (Hayes et al, 2001). The use of antibiotics in poultry production is the causative agent in the establishment of antibiotic-resistant reservoirs within poultry flocks (Price et al, 2007). However, this is not the case with the backyard country chicken, because they are routinely reared in open area of the villages in Tamilnadu, with naturally available feeds.…”