Recent surveillance data reveal that resistance to commonly used antimicrobials - such as ampicillin, tetracyclines and sulphonamides - remains high in both humans and animals for key pathogens such as Salmonella and Campylobacter, according to the main findings of a report published on Wednesday 5 March by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).
In addition, E. coli resistance is also frequently observed in animals, although Salmonella resistance in laying hens is low.
The report (https://aeur.eu/f/fqg ) shows that high levels of resistance to ciprofloxacin, a fluoroquinolone antimicrobial of critical importance in treating Salmonella and Campylobacter infections, is “a growing concern”. Resistance to ciprofloxacin has increased in Salmonella Enteritidis and Campylobacter jejuni in humans in more than half the European countries that provided data. High to very high proportions of resistance to ciprofloxacin have been observed in Campylobacter from food-producing animals and in Salmonella and E. coli from poultry in particular, EFSA and ECDC state.
In contrast, resistance to other critically important antimicrobials used in human medicine remains rare in Salmonella and Campylobacter, both in humans and animals.
Although resistance to carbapenems remains rare, the occasional detection of carbapenem-resistant E. coli in foodstuffs and animals calls for continued vigilance and epidemiological investigations. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)