Study finds resistance to critically important antibiotics in uncooked meat sold for human and animal consumption

A study at the ESCMID Global Congress in Barcelona, Spain, found substantial levels of resistance to critically important antibiotics in meat sold for human and animal consumption. The UK Government Food Standards Agency (FSA) regulates meat for human consumption, but it is not tested for resistant opportunistic pathogens like Escherichia coli. The study investigated 58 samples of uncooked meat and 15 samples of chicken-based raw dog meat for resistant E. coli. The highest sample-level positivity rate for resistant E. coli in uncooked meat for human consumption was found in chicken, with 100% of samples positive for resistance to spectinomycin and streptomycin, and 47% for resistant to critically important fluoroquinolones. Similar levels of resistance were seen in chicken raw dog food samples, with 87% positive for spectinomycin and streptomycin resistance and 47% for fluoroquinolones. The study confirms that uncooked meat carries multiple resistant E. coli, including resistance to critically important antibiotics important for human health.