Antimicrobial resistance in the EU: infections by foodborne bacteria becoming harder to treat
The conclusion is part of the latest report on antimicrobial resistance in zoonoses released today by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), which also presents some positive trends in the animal sector.
The latest data from humans, animals and food show that a large proportion of Salmonella bacteria are multidrug-resistant (resistant to three or more antimicrobials). In humans, resistance to ciprofloxacin is common, particularly in certain types of Salmonella, and resistance to high concentrations of ciprofloxacin increased overall from 1.7% (2016) to 4.6% (2018). For Campylobacter, 16 out of 19 countries report very high or extremely high percentages of ciprofloxacin resistance.
High proportions of resistance to ciprofloxacin are also reported in Salmonella and E. coli bacteria from poultry.
ECDC is working with EU Member States and with EFSA in a One Health approach to enhance the early detection and monitoring, in an effort to fight the persisting threat of antimicrobial-resistant zoonotic infections.Mike Catchpole, ECDC’s chief scientist
