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Resistance Genes In Our Food Supply

"ScienceDaily (May 23, 2007 ) — Could the food we eat be contributing to the continuing rise of antibiotic-resistant infections? Harmless and even beneficial bacteria that exist in our food supply may also be carrying genes that code for antibiotic resistance. Once in our bodies, could they transmit the resistance genes to disease-causing bacteria?

The culprit is a process known as horizontal gene transfer, in which bacteria in close proximity to each other can share genetic information, including genes that code for antibiotic resistance. Horizontal gene transfer between disease-causing bacteria in the hospital setting has already been recognized as an important avenue for the exchange of antibiotic-resistance genes among pathogens.

In a study published last year, she and her colleagues tested a variety of ready-to-eat food samples including seafood, meats, dairy, deli items and fresh produce purchased from several grocery chain stores. With the exception of processed cheese and yogurt, antibiotic-resistance gene-carrying bacteria were found in many food samples examined.,

The problem is not just confined to the food supply. Recent studies have shown antibiotic resistance genes in bacteria in the digestive tract of young infants. Since these children were still breast- or formula-feeding and had not eaten solid food yet, they must have acquired these genes somewhere other than the food supply. This suggests that resistance genes from the environment might have played an important role, says Hua.

"Antibiotics and the contamination of the environment is a medical problem, an agricultural problem and a human problem. Everybody plays a role in it. They also have a stake in it," says Roberts."