Persistent antimicrobial resistance in the food chain underlines need for a ‘One Health’ approach
Antimicrobial resistance in common foodborne bacteria poses a threat to Europe’s public health, despite pockets of progress
A joint assessment by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) warns that resistance in pathogens such as Salmonella and Campylobacter “continues to be a public health concern across Europe”.
At issue is the persistence, and in some cases rise, of resistance to ciprofloxacin, a frontline treatment for severe human infections. A “high proportion” of Salmonella and Campylobacter sampled from humans and food-producing animals show resistance to the drug. In Campylobacter, resistance has become so widespread that ciprofloxacin is “no longer recommended” for treating human infections. Restrictions on its veterinary use are intended to preserve what remains of its clinical utility.
More broadly, resistance to commonly used antimicrobials including ampicillin, tetracyclines and sulfonamides, remains elevated. Particularly troubling is the growing detection of carbapenemase-producing E. coli in animals and meat. Carbapenems are “last-resort antimicrobials for humans” and are not authorised for food-producing animals, yet reported detections are increasing, and their sources remain unclear.
National efforts are not uniform across the EU
There are, however, signs that targeted interventions are yielding results. Over the past decade, resistance in human Salmonella infections to ampicillin fell significantly in 19 countries, while 14 reported declines for tetracyclines.
Similar improvements were observed in food-producing animals at EU level: resistance to tetracyclines has decreased in broilers, and both ampicillin and tetracycline resistance have declined in turkeys, suggesting that sustained stewardship efforts can translate into measurable gains.
For Campylobacter, resistance to erythromycin, a first-line therapy, has also fallen in several countries. Combined resistance to multiple critically important drugs remains “generally low”.
The agencies argue that these mixed results underscore the need for a “One Health approach” that links human, animal, and environmental policies. With resistance patterns varying widely across countries and sectors, sustained vigilance and restraint in antimicrobial use will determine whether recent gains can be consolidated.