Department of Veterinary Microbiology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada.
J Appl Microbiol. 2020 Oct;129(4):1053-1061. doi: 10.1111/jam.14658. Epub 2020 May 13.
The food supply is a potential source of antimicrobial resistance. Current surveillance programmes targeting food are limited to beef, pork and poultry and do not capture niche products. In this study, imported reptile and amphibian products were screened for antimicrobial-resistant bacteria.
In all, 53 items including soft shell turtles, frog legs, geckos, snakes and a turtle carapace were purchased from specialty markets in Vancouver and Saskatoon, Canada. Samples were selectively cultured for Salmonella sp., Escherichia coli, extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Enterobacteriaceae and meropenem-resistant organisms. Salmonella, all pan-susceptible, were grown from six dried geckos. Escherichia coli were isolated from 19 samples, including ESBL producers from six items. One multidrug-resistant E. coli possessed both the bla and mcr-1 genes. An NDM-1-producing Acinetobacter sp. was also isolated from a dried turtle carapace.
Our results suggest that imported reptile and amphibian meats are an underappreciated source of resistant bacteria.
The international trade of food may play a role in the dissemination of resistant bacteria. The presence of these bacteria in niche market foods represents a risk of unknown magnitude to public health and a gap in current national resistance surveillance programmes.
食品供应是抗菌药物耐药性的潜在来源。目前针对食品的监测计划仅限于牛肉、猪肉和家禽，无法涵盖利基产品。在这项研究中，对进口爬行动物和两栖动物产品进行了抗菌药物耐药菌筛查。
共从加拿大温哥华和萨斯卡通的专业市场购买了 53 种商品，包括甲鱼、蛙腿、壁虎、蛇和龟壳。对沙门氏菌、大肠杆菌、产超广谱β-内酰胺酶（ESBL）的肠杆菌科和耐美罗培南的生物体进行了选择性培养。从 6 只干壁虎中培养出了对所有药物均敏感的沙门氏菌。从 19 个样本中分离出了大肠杆菌，其中 6 个样本中分离出了 ESBL 生产者。一株多药耐药的大肠杆菌同时携带 bla 和 mcr-1 基因。从一只干龟壳中也分离出了一株携带 NDM-1 基因的不动杆菌属细菌。
我们的研究结果表明，进口的爬行动物和两栖动物肉类是耐药菌的一个未被充分认识的来源。
食品的国际贸易可能在耐药菌的传播中发挥作用。这些细菌存在于利基市场的食品中，对公众健康构成了未知程度的风险，也是当前国家耐药性监测计划的一个空白。
