Antibiotic resistant bacteria and farm animals

A new study has suggests that local domestic animals are unlikely to be the major source of antibiotic resistant Salmonella in humans. The result comes from a detailed study of DNA from more than 370 Salmonella samples collected over a 22-year period.

By studying the genetic variation in the Salmonella bacteria and their drug resistance genes, researchers found that distinguishable bacterial populations exist in human and animal populations living side by side.

The two key findings from the research were: first, the Salmonella bacteria largely remained within their original host populations and second, there were more varied combinations of drug resistance in the human-infecting bacteria.

For further details, refer to the following paper:

Mather AE et al. Distinguishable Epidemics of Multidrug Resistant Salmonella Typhimurium DT104 In Different Hosts. Science Express, September 2013 DOI: 10.1126/science.1240578

Posted by Tim Sandle