Update on antibiotic resistance in foodborne Lactobacillus and Lactococcus species

Abstract

Lactobacilli represent a major Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB) component within the complex microbiota of fermented foods obtained from meat, dairy, and vegetable sources. Lactococci, on the other hand, are typical of milk and fermented dairy products, which in turn represent the vast majority of fermented foods. As is the case for all species originating from the environment, foodborne lactobacilli and lactococci consist of natural, uncharacterized strains, whose biodiversity depends on geographical origin, seasonality, animal feeding/plant growth conditions. Although a few species of opportunistic pathogens have been described, lactobacilli and lactococci are mostly non-pathogenic, Gram-positive bacteria displaying probiotic features. Since antibiotic resistant (AR) strains do not constitute an immediate threat to human health, scientific interest for detailed studies on AR genes in these species has been greatly hindered. However, increasing evidence points at a crucial role for foodborne LAB as reservoir of potentially transmissible AR genes, underlining the need for further, more detailed studies aimed at identifying possible strategies to avoid AR spread to pathogens through fermented food consumption. The availability of a growing number of sequenced bacterial genomes has been very helpful in identifying the presence/distribution of mobile elements associated with AR genes, but open questions and knowledge gaps still need to be filled, highlighting the need for systematic and datasharing approaches to implement both surveillance and mechanistic studies on transferability of AR genes. In the present review we report an update of the recent literature on AR in lactobacilli and lactococci following the 2006 EU-wide ban of the use of antibiotics as feed additives in animal farming, and we discuss the limits of the present knowledge in evaluating possible risks for human health.

Health and Safety Considerations of Fermented Sausages

“…Many Lactobacillus species are intrinsically resistant to a number of antibiotics, for example, streptomycin and vancomycin [180,197]. However, transmissible AR has frequently been detected, also in strains isolated from fermented sausages [180,[198][199][200]. Tetracycline resistance, mediated by the tetM gene, and the ermB erythromycin resistance gene seem to be the most common [180,199].…”

The Plasmidome of Firmicutes: Impact on the Emergence and the Spread of Resistance to Antimicrobials

“…Analysis of the same AbR genes in different species (cfr, bac, lincosamide resistance genes) reflects the impact of recombination events between genes, MGEs, and different populations of Firmicutes (Staphylococcus, Clostridium, Lactobacillus, Lactococcus, and Enterococcus) and other Gram-negative organisms (200,204) in the gastrointestinal tract of animals and humans (120,144,205,206).…”

CINÉTICA, PRUEBA DE CRECIMIENTO Y EFECTO DE INHIBICIÓN DELactococcus lactisSOBREYersinia pseudotuberculosis

“…los resultados indican que la cepa láctica muestra sensibilidad a la mayoría de los antibióticos evaluados. Según Devirgiliis et al [22], el género Lactococcus presentan poca resistencia adquirida; además, es sensible a macrólidos y antibióticos de amplio espectro como aminoglicósidos (gentamicina y kanamicina) vancomicina, tetraciclinas y cloranfenicol. Flores [23] informa que en la cepa Lc.…”