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ARS Home » Plains Area » College Station, Texas » Southern Plains Agricultural Research Center » Food and Feed Safety Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #241075
Title: Relationship between level of antibiotic use and resistance among Escherichia coli isolates from integrated multi-site cohorts of humans and swine

Author
item ALALI, WALID - Texas A&M University
item SCOTT, MORGAN - Texas A&M University
item CHRISTIAN, KRISTI - Texas A&M University
item FAJT, VIRGINIA - Texas A&M University
item Harvey, Roger
item LAWHORN, BRUCE - Texas A&M University

Submitted to: Preventive Veterinary Medicine
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/15/2009
Publication Date: 8/1/2009
Citation: Alali, W.Q., Scott, M.H., Christian, K.L., Fajt, V.R., Harvey, R.B., Lawhorn, B.D. 2009. Relationship between level of antibiotic use and resistance among Escherichia coli isolates from integrated multi-site cohorts of humans and swine. Preventive Veterinary Medicine. 90:160-167.

Interpretive Summary: Increased bacterial resistance to antibiotics has become more prevalent worldwide and is of concern to the medical community. Before antibiotic resistance can be reduced, we need to know what influences antibiotic resistance. In the present study, we tracked antibiotic usage in humans and swine and examined the member of antibiotic resistant E. coli bacteria that were isolated from each population and compared that to the history of antibiotic usage. No consistent patterns were observed. This is important because it shows that while antibiotic usage can be a factor in antibiotic resistance, it is not the only factor.

Technical Abstract: The objective of this longitudinal ecological study was to examine the relationship between the prevalence of antibiotic-resistant (AR) commensal E. coli isolates from both monthly human wastewater and composite swine fecal samples, and the concurrent aggregated monthly antibiotic use recorded within each host species in multi-site vertically integrated swine and human populations. In addition, human vocation (swine worker versus non-swine worker), swine production group, and season were examined as potential confounding variables. Human and swine E. coli isolates (N= 2,469 human and 2,310 swine, respectively) were tested for antimicrobial susceptibility using a commercial broth microdilution system. In the human population, among swine workers the relative odds of tetracycline resistance were significantly increased for tetracycline (class) drug use at the third quartile and above mean monthly dosage (MMD) (OR= 1.8) as compared to the referent category (non-use). The relative odds of ciprofloxacin resistance were significantly increased for ciprofloxacin use in non-swine workers (OR= 5.5) as compared to the referent (non-use). The relative odds of tetracycline resistance were significantly increased for chlortetracycline use in medicated feed for the upper tertile of MMD category (OR= 2.9) as compared to the referent category (no use) across all swine production groups. While high variability among seasonal samples over the 3-year period was observed, no common seasonal trends relating to antibiotic use and prevalence of resistance over the 3-year period were apparent. The overall effects of concurrent human and swine antibiotic use on AR E. coli levels were inconsistent and modest in this study.