Resistant Campylobacter common in UK chicken
Campylobacter spp. are the most common bacterial cause of foodborne illness in the UK, with chicken considered to be the most important vehicle of transmission for this organism. It is estimated there are 500,000 cases of campylobacteriosis in the UK annually, with Campylobacter jejuni (C. jejuni) and Campylobacter coli (C. coli) accounting for approximately 91% and 8 % of infections, respectively.
A new report from the United Kingdom's Food Safety Agency (FSA) finds that antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in Campylobacter bacteria isolated from retail chicken meat and chicken at slaughter is common but appears to have plateaued since 2014.
The analysis of AMR trends in Campylobacter, found that resistance to quinolones (ciprofloxacin), nalidixic acid, and tetracycline is common in C. jejuni and C. coli in UK broiler chickens.
The data have indicated that since 2014, there have been no significant increases in resistance to the antimicrobials examined. It is possible that this is related to the significant reductions in usage of antimicrobials (AMU) undertaken by the poultry industry in the past decade.
