Detection of antibiotic resistance genes in food-associated bacteria

Abstract

The increasing prevalence of acquired antibiotic resistance (AR) in bacteria constitutes a growing concern, especially in the last decades. Resistant pathogenic bacteria can lead to serious implications for the treatment of infectious diseases but the occurrence of AR determinants in commensal and environmental bacteria is important too, as these microorganisms represent a reservoir of AR genes that can be transferred to pathogens. A large number of studies has observed an ever increasing level of AR in food-related bacteria, such as enterococci, staphylococci and lactic acid bacteria. Consequently, food is considered an efficient vehicle for the diffusion of antibiotic resistances. Detection of AR in bacteria is required both to monitor the spread of resistant organisms and for determine the optimal antimicrobial therapy for clinical isolates. For these purposes, conventional phenotypic tests and/or more advanced nucleic acid-based methods can be applied. The technique to be used depends on the information that are required and on the targets under consideration.