As controversy continues concerning the use of antibiotics in food animals and the relationship to drug-resistant infections in humans, a team of interdisciplinary scientists at the Medical University of South Carolina and the Charleston VA Medical Center Research Service reviewed published literature for evidence of a relationship between antibiotic use in agricultural animals and drug-resistant foodborne Campylobacter infections in humans, commonly known as campylobacteriosis. According to the 2013 CDC Antibiotic Resistance Threats Report, two of the eighteen pathogens that are of concern in the United States may have a direct link to agriculture – one of them being Campylobacter. Campylobacter can cause foodborne illness when food is not properly handled and cooked, regardless of whether it carries any specific antibiotic resistance. It is of concern because some people infected with Campylobacter develop severe arthritis; while others may develop Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS), which is one of the leading causes of acute paralysis in the U.S. The study – conducted by veterinary and nutrition scientists and an infectious disease physician – reviewed 195 articles in the U.S., Canada and Denmark over the past five years and has been published in [volume 56, issue 13] of Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition. Animals included in the reviewed studies were chicken, turkeys, pigs, beef cattle, and dairy cows.
The overall prevalence of Campylobacter and drug resistance found in the systematic review aligns with recent National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System (NARMS) reports. The research team found no conclusive evidence of a definitive link between use of antibiotics in food animals and emergence of drug-resistant Campylobacter. However, their findings did lead the team to important concerns about Campylobacter. For example, recent cases of Campylobacter infections have been linked directly to drinking raw milk or eating food products made from raw milk. It is important to note the USDA and FDA do not recommend consuming raw cow’s milk.