Abstract
Nutritive and therapeutic treatment of farm animals with antibiotics, amounting to half of the world's antibiotic output, has selected for resistant bacteria that may contaminate the food produced. Antibiotic-resistant enterococci and staphylococci from animals are found in food when they survive the production processes, as in raw cured sausages and raw milk cheeses1. The broad host ranges of some plasmids and the action of transposons in many bacteria allow antibiotic-resistance genes to be communicated by conjugation between different species and genera2,3. A multi-antibiotic resistance plasmid from a lactococcus found in cheese provides a historical record of such events.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 51 print issues and online access
$199.00 per year
only $3.90 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
References
Teuber, M., Perreten, V. & Wirsching, F. Lebensmittel-Technol. 29, 182–199 (1996).
Perreten, V., Kollöffel, B. & Teuber, M. System. Appl. Microbiol. 20, 27–38 (1997).
Kruse, H. & Sørum, H. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 60, 4015–4021 (1994).
Teuber, M. in The Genera of Lactic Acid Bacteria (eds Wood, B. J. B. & Holzapfel, W. H.) 173-234 (Blackie, Glasgow,1995).
Goulet, V.et al. Lancet 345, 1581–1582 (1995).
Chadwick, D. J. & Goode, J. (eds) Antibiotic Resistance. Origins, Evolution, Selection and Spread. Ciba Foundn Symp. 207(Wiley, Chichester, 1997).
Salyers, A. A. Antibiotic Resistance Transfer in the Mammalian Intestinal Tract: Implications for Human Health, Food Safety and Biotechnology 160-162 (Springer, New York; R. G. Landes, Austin, 1995).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Perreten, V., Schwarz, F., Cresta, L. et al. Antibiotic resistance spread in food. Nature 389, 801–802 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1038/39767
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/39767
This article is cited by
-
Immunostimulatory activity of Lactococcus lactis LM1185 isolated from Hydrangea macrophylla
Food Science and Biotechnology (2023)
-
Genome analysis of probiotic bacteria for antibiotic resistance genes
Antonie van Leeuwenhoek (2022)
-
Characterization and Transferability of erm and tet Antibiotic Resistance Genes in Lactobacillus spp. Isolated from Traditional Fermented Milk
Current Microbiology (2022)
-
Unravelling the antibiotic and heavy metal resistome of a chronically polluted soil
3 Biotech (2020)
-
Highly selective nanocomposite sorbents for the specific recognition of S-ibuprofen from structurally related compounds
Applied Nanoscience (2016)
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.
