# | Rank | Similarity | Title + Abs. | Year | PMID |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| 4231 | 0 | 1.0000 | Recent investigations and updated criteria for the assessment of antibiotic resistance in food lactic acid bacteria. The worldwide use, and misuse, of antibiotics for about sixty years in the so-called antibiotic era, has been estimated in some one to ten million tons, a relevant part of which destined for non-therapeutic purposes such as growth promoting treatments for livestock or crop protection. As highly adaptable organisms, bacteria have reacted to this dramatic change in their environment by developing several well-known mechanisms of antibiotic resistance and are becoming increasingly resistant to conventional antibiotics. In recent years, commensal bacteria have become a cause of concern since they may act as reservoirs for the antibiotic resistance genes found in human pathogens. In particular, the food chain has been considered the main route for the introduction of animal and environment associated antibiotic resistant bacteria into the human gastrointestinal tract (GIT) where these genes may be transferred to pathogenic and opportunistic bacteria. As fundamental microbial communities in a large variety of fermented foods and feed, the anaerobe facultative, aerotolerant lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are likely to play a pivotal role in the resistance gene exchange occurring in the environment, food, feed and animal and human GIT. Therefore their antibiotic resistance features and their genetic basis have recently received increasing attention. The present article summarises the results of the latest studies on the most typical genera belonging to the low G + C branch of LAB. The evolution of the criteria established by European regulatory bodies to ensure a safe use of microorganisms in food and feed, including the assessment of their antibiotic resistance is also reviewed. | 2011 | 21515393 |
| 4230 | 1 | 0.9999 | Antibiotic resistance in food lactic acid bacteria--a review. Antibiotics are a major tool utilized by the health care industry to fight bacterial infections; however, bacteria are highly adaptable creatures and are capable of developing resistance to antibiotics. Consequently, decades of antibiotic use, or rather misuse, have resulted in bacterial resistance to many modern antibiotics. This antibiotic resistance can cause significant danger and suffering for many people with common bacterial infections, those once easily treated with antibiotics. For several decades studies on selection and dissemination of antibiotic resistance have focused mainly on clinically relevant species. However, recently many investigators have speculated that commensal bacteria including lactic acid bacteria (LAB) may act as reservoirs of antibiotic resistance genes similar to those found in human pathogens. The main threat associated with these bacteria is that they can transfer resistance genes to pathogenic bacteria. Genes conferring resistance to tetracycline, erythromycin and vancomycin have been detected and characterized in Lactococcus lactis, Enterococci and, recently, in Lactobacillus species isolated from fermented meat and milk products. A number of initiatives have been recently launched by various organizations across the globe to address the biosafety concerns of starter cultures and probiotic microorganisms. The studies can lead to better understanding of the role played by the dairy starter microorganisms in horizontal transfer of antibiotic resistance genes to intestinal microorganisms and food-associated pathogenic bacteria. | 2005 | 16289406 |
| 4225 | 2 | 0.9999 | Safety aspects and implications of regulation of probiotic bacteria in food and food supplements. The application of living bacteria as probiotics in food or food supplements requires a careful safety assessment. This review summarizes key issues concerning the safety aspects of bacteria added to particular products marketed for improvement of general health or treatment of (post)infectious symptoms. The bacteria used in such products should be completely safe; however, it can be challenging to provide evidence for absence of all virulence properties. In some cases, virulence factors have been detected in probiotic bacterial strains, and the implications of these traits for safety assessments are discussed. Horizontal gene transfer can result in acquisition of virulence genes or antimicrobial resistance in probiotic bacteria. Antimicrobial resistance in these bacteria can possibly aid the spread of undesired resistance in intestinal bacterial populations. The relative risk of such gene transfers is considered. The generation of complete bacterial genome sequences can both resolve and create safety issues. Current practices of safety assessment procedures in the United States and the European Union are briefly reviewed and a future outlook is provided. | 2008 | 18724773 |
| 4189 | 3 | 0.9999 | Antimicrobial resistance at farm level. Bacteria that are resistant to antimicrobials are widespread. This article reviews the distribution of resistant bacteria in farm environments. Humans, animals, and environmental sites are all reservoirs of bacterial communities that contain some bacteria that are susceptible to antimicrobials and others that are resistant. Farm ecosystems provide an environment in which resistant bacteria and genes can emerge, amplify and spread. Dissemination occurs via the food chain and via several other pathways. Ecological, epidemiological, molecular and mathematical approaches are being used to study the origin and expansion of the resistance problem and its relationship to antibiotic usage. The prudent and responsible use of antibiotics is an essential part of an ethical approach to improving animal health and food safety. The responsible use of antibiotics during research is vital, but to fully contribute to the containment of antimicrobial resistance 'prudent use' must also be part of good management practices at all levels of farm life. | 2006 | 17094710 |
| 4123 | 4 | 0.9999 | The Invisible Threat of Antibiotic Resistance in Food. The continued and improper use of antibiotics has resulted in the emergence of antibiotic resistance (AR). The dissemination of antibiotic-resistant microorganisms occurs via a multitude of pathways, including the food supply. The failure to comply with the regulatory withdrawal period associated with the treatment of domestic animals or the illicit use of antibiotics as growth promoters has contributed to the proliferation of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in meat and dairy products. It was demonstrated that not only do animal and human pathogens act as donors of antibiotic resistance genes, but also that lactic acid bacteria can serve as reservoirs of genes encoding for antibiotic resistance. Consequently, the consumption of fermented foods also presents a potential conduit for the dissemination of AR. This review provides an overview of the potential for the transmission of antibiotic resistance in a range of traditional and novel foods. The literature data reveal that foodborne microbes can be a significant factor in the dissemination of antibiotic resistance. | 2025 | 40149061 |
| 4029 | 5 | 0.9999 | Reservoirs of antibiotic resistance genes. A potential concern about the use of antibiotics in animal husbundary is that, as antibiotic resistant bacteria move from the farm into the human diet, they may pass antibiotic resistance genes to bacteria that normally reside in a the human intestinal tract and from there to bacteria that cause human disease (reservoir hypothesis). In this article various approaches to evaluating the risk of agricultural use of antibiotics are assessed critically. In addition, the potential benefits of applying new technology and using new insights from the field of microbial ecology are explained. | 2006 | 17127525 |
| 4197 | 6 | 0.9999 | Antibiotic-resistant bacteria: a challenge for the food industry. Antibiotic-resistant bacteria were first described in the 1940s, but whereas new antibiotics were being discovered at a steady rate, the consequences of this phenomenon were slow to be appreciated. At present, the paucity of new antimicrobials coming into the market has led to the problem of antibiotic resistance fast escalating into a global health crisis. Although the selective pressure exerted by the use of antibiotics (particularly overuse or misuse) has been deemed the major factor in the emergence of bacterial resistance to these antimicrobials, concerns about the role of the food industry have been growing in recent years and have been raised at both national and international levels. The selective pressure exerted by the use of antibiotics (primary production) and biocides (e.g., disinfectants, food and feed preservatives, or decontaminants) is the main driving force behind the selection and spread of antimicrobial resistance throughout the food chain. Genetically modified (GM) crops with antibiotic resistance marker genes, microorganisms added intentionally to the food chain (probiotic or technological) with potentially transferable antimicrobial resistance genes, and food processing technologies used at sub-lethal doses (e.g., alternative non-thermal treatments) are also issues for concern. This paper presents the main trends in antibiotic resistance and antibiotic development in recent decades, as well as their economic and health consequences, current knowledge concerning the generation, dissemination, and mechanisms of antibacterial resistance, progress to date on the possible routes for emergence of resistance throughout the food chain and the role of foods as a vehicle for antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The main approaches to prevention and control of the development, selection, and spread of antibacterial resistance in the food industry are also addressed. | 2013 | 23035919 |
| 4115 | 7 | 0.9999 | Antibiotic Use for Growth Promotion in Animals: Ecologic and Public Health Consequences. Antibiotics have successfully treated infectious diseases in man, animals and agricultural plants. However, one consequence of usage at any level, subtherapeutic or therapeutic, has been selection of microorganisms resistant to these valuable agents. Today clinicians worldwide face singly resistant and multiply resistant bacteria which complicate treatment of even common infectious agents. This situation calls for a critical evaluation of the numerous ways in which antibiotics are being used so as to evaluate benefits and risks. About half of the antibiotics produced in the United States arc used in animals, chiefly in subtherapeutic amounts for growth promotion. This usage is for prolonged periods leading to selection of multiply-resistant bacteria which enter a common environmental pool. From there, resistance determinants from different sources spread from one bacterium to another, from one animal host to another, from one area to another. The same resistance determinants have been traced to many different genera associated with humans, animals and foods where they pose a continued threat to public health. Since alternative measures for growth promotion, such as antimicrobials which are not used for human therapy and which do not select for multiple-resistances are available, their use, instead of antibiotics, would remove a major factor contributing to the environmental pool of transferable resistance genes. | 1987 | 30965484 |
| 4083 | 8 | 0.9999 | Antibiotic resistance gene discovery in food-producing animals. Numerous environmental reservoirs contribute to the widespread antibiotic resistance problem in human pathogens. One environmental reservoir of particular importance is the intestinal bacteria of food-producing animals. In this review I examine recent discoveries of antibiotic resistance genes in agricultural animals. Two types of antibiotic resistance gene discoveries will be discussed: the use of classic microbiological and molecular techniques, such as culturing and PCR, to identify known genes not previously reported in animals; and the application of high-throughput technologies, such as metagenomics, to identify novel genes and gene transfer mechanisms. These discoveries confirm that antibiotics should be limited to prudent uses. | 2014 | 24994584 |
| 4226 | 9 | 0.9999 | Assessing the Risk of Probiotic Dietary Supplements in the Context of Antibiotic Resistance. Probiotic bacteria are known to harbor intrinsic and mobile genetic elements that confer resistance to a wide variety of antibiotics. Their high amounts in dietary supplements can establish a reservoir of antibiotic resistant genes in the human gut. These resistant genes can be transferred to pathogens that share the same intestinal habitat thus resulting in serious clinical ramifications. While antibiotic resistance of probiotic bacteria from food, human and animal sources have been well-documented, the resistant profiles of probiotics from dietary supplements have only been recently studied. These products are consumed with increasing regularity due to their health claims that include the improvement of intestinal health and immune response as well as prevention of acute and antibiotic-associated diarrhea and cancer; but, a comprehensive risk assessment on the spread of resistant genes to human health is lacking. Here, we highlight recent reports of antibiotic resistance of probiotic bacteria isolated from dietary supplements, and propose complementary strategies that can shed light on the risks of consuming such products in the context of a global widespread of antibiotic resistance. In concomitant with a broader screening of antibiotic resistance in probiotic supplements is the use of computational simulations, live imaging and functional genomics to harvest knowledge on the evolutionary behavior, adaptations and dynamics of probiotics studied in conditions that best represent the human gut including in the presence of antibiotics. The underlying goal is to enable the health benefits of probiotics to be exploited in a responsible manner and with minimal risk to human health. | 2017 | 28579981 |
| 4255 | 10 | 0.9999 | Oral biofilms: a reservoir of transferable, bacterial, antimicrobial resistance. Oral microbes are responsible for dental caries and periodontal diseases and have also been implicated in a range of other diseases beyond the oral cavity. These bacteria live primarily as complex, polymicrobial biofilms commonly called dental plaque. Cells growing within a biofilm often exhibit altered phenotypes, such as increased antibiotic resistance. The stable structural properties and close proximity of the bacterial cells within the biofilm appears to be an excellent environment for horizontal gene transfer, which can lead to the spread of antibiotic resistance genes amongst the biofilm inhabitants. This article will present an overview of the different types and amount of resistance to antibiotics that have been found in the human oral microbiota and will discuss the oral inhabitants' role as a reservoir of antimicrobial resistance genes. In addition, data on the genetic support for these resistance genes will be detailed and the evidence for horizontal gene transfer reviewed, demonstrating that the bacteria inhabiting the oral cavity are a reservoir of transferable antibiotic resistance. | 2010 | 21133668 |
| 4193 | 11 | 0.9999 | Use of antimicrobial agents in veterinary medicine and food animal production. Antimicrobial resistance is a growing area of concern in both human and veterinary medicine. This review presents an overview of the use of antimicrobial agents in animals for therapeutic, metaphylactic, prophylactic and growth promotion purposes. In addition, factors favouring resistance development and transfer of resistance genes between different bacteria, as well as transfer of resistant bacteria between different hosts, are described with particular reference to the role of animals as a reservoir of resistance genes or resistant bacterial pathogens which may cause diseases in humans. | 2001 | 11397611 |
| 4070 | 12 | 0.9999 | Antibiotic Resistance Mechanisms in Bacteria: Relationships Between Resistance Determinants of Antibiotic Producers, Environmental Bacteria, and Clinical Pathogens. Emergence of antibiotic resistant pathogenic bacteria poses a serious public health challenge worldwide. However, antibiotic resistance genes are not confined to the clinic; instead they are widely prevalent in different bacterial populations in the environment. Therefore, to understand development of antibiotic resistance in pathogens, we need to consider important reservoirs of resistance genes, which may include determinants that confer self-resistance in antibiotic producing soil bacteria and genes encoding intrinsic resistance mechanisms present in all or most non-producer environmental bacteria. While the presence of resistance determinants in soil and environmental bacteria does not pose a threat to human health, their mobilization to new hosts and their expression under different contexts, for example their transfer to plasmids and integrons in pathogenic bacteria, can translate into a problem of huge proportions, as discussed in this review. Selective pressure brought about by human activities further results in enrichment of such determinants in bacterial populations. Thus, there is an urgent need to understand distribution of resistance determinants in bacterial populations, elucidate resistance mechanisms, and determine environmental factors that promote their dissemination. This comprehensive review describes the major known self-resistance mechanisms found in producer soil bacteria of the genus Streptomyces and explores the relationships between resistance determinants found in producer soil bacteria, non-producer environmental bacteria, and clinical isolates. Specific examples highlighting potential pathways by which pathogenic clinical isolates might acquire these resistance determinants from soil and environmental bacteria are also discussed. Overall, this article provides a conceptual framework for understanding the complexity of the problem of emergence of antibiotic resistance in the clinic. Availability of such knowledge will allow researchers to build models for dissemination of resistance genes and for developing interventions to prevent recruitment of additional or novel genes into pathogens. | 2018 | 30555448 |
| 9681 | 13 | 0.9999 | Uses of antimicrobials in plant agriculture. Bacterial diseases of plants are less prevalent than diseases caused by fungi and viruses. Antimicrobials for prophylactic treatment of bacterial diseases of plants are limited in availability, use, and efficacy, and therapeutic use is largely ineffective. Most applications are by spray treatments in orchards. Monitoring and surveillance for drug resistance are not routinely done. In the United States, data on use of antimicrobials for treatment of bacterial diseases of plants are limited to streptomycin and oxytetracycline. Resistance to streptomycin has become widespread among bacterial phytopathogens; no resistance among these bacteria has yet been reported for oxytetracycline. No human health effects have been documented since inception of use of antimicrobials in plants in the 1950s. Transfer of antimicrobial resistance from marker genes in transgenic plants to bacteria has not been documented under natural conditions in field-grown plants. However, antimicrobial-resistance genes are being eliminated from use as marker genes because of concerns about possible transfer from plant genomes back to bacteria, with further horizontal transfer to the bacteria in the environment, or from plant genomes to animals by plant consumption. No new antimicrobials are expected to be used in plant agriculture because of high costs of development, regulatory constraints, and environmental and human health concerns. Alternatives to antimicrobials, such as biocontrol agents, transgenic plants, and novel chemicals, are being developed and marketed, although their efficacy remains to be determined. | 2002 | 11988880 |
| 4114 | 14 | 0.9999 | Antimicrobial resistance and the food chain. The extent to which antibiotics given to animals contribute to the overall problem of antibiotic resistance in man is still uncertain. The development of resistance in some human pathogens, such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and multi-drug resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis, is linked to the use of antimicrobials in man and there is no evidence for animal involvement. However, there are several good examples of transfer of resistant bacteria or bacterial resistance genes from animals to man via the food chain. A bacterial ecosystem exists with simple and complex routes of transfer of resistance genes between the bacterial populations; in addition to transfer of organisms from animals to man, there is also evidence of resistance genes spilling back from humans into the animal population. This is important because of the amplification that can occur in animal populations. The most important factor in the selection of resistant bacteria is generally agreed to be usage of antimicrobial agents and in general, there is a close association between the quantities of antimicrobials used and the rate of development of resistance. The use of antimicrobials is not restricted to animal husbandry but also occurs in horticulture (for example, aminoglycosides in apple growing) and in some other industrial processes such as oil production. | 2002 | 12000617 |
| 4113 | 15 | 0.9999 | Antimicrobial resistance and the food chain. The extent to which antibiotics given to animals contribute to the overall problem of antibiotic resistance in man is still uncertain. The development of resistance in some human pathogens, such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and multi-drug resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis, is linked to the use of antimicrobials in man and there is no evidence for animal involvement. However, there are several good examples of transfer of resistant bacteria or bacterial resistance genes from animals to man via the food chain. A bacterial ecosystem exists with simple and complex routes of transfer of resistance genes between the bacterial populations; in addition to transfer of organisms from animals to man, there is also evidence of resistance genes spilling back from humans into the animal population. This is important because of the amplification that can occur in animal populations. The most important factor in the selection of resistant bacteria is generally agreed to be usage of antimicrobial agents and in general, there is a close association between the quantities of antimicrobials used and the rate of development of resistance. The use of antimicrobials is not restricted to animal husbandry but also occurs in horticulture (for example, aminoglycosides in apple growing) and in some other industrial processes such as oil production. | 2002 | 12481833 |
| 4224 | 16 | 0.9999 | The Genus Enterococcus: Between Probiotic Potential and Safety Concerns-An Update. A considerable number of strains belonging to different species of Enterococcus are highly competitive due to their resistance to wide range of pH and temperature. Their competitiveness is also owed to their ability to produce bacteriocins recognized for their wide-range effectiveness on pathogenic and spoilage bacteria. Enterococcal bacteriocins have attracted great research interest as natural antimicrobial agents in the food industry, and as a potential drug candidate for replacing antibiotics in order to treat multiple drugs resistance pathogens. However, the prevalence of virulence factors and antibiotic-resistance genes and the ability to cause disease could compromise their application in food, human and animal health. From the current regulatory point of view, the genus Enterococcus is neither recommended for the QPS list nor have GRAS status. Although recent advances in molecular biology and the recommended methods for the safety evaluation of Enterococcus strains allowed the distinction between commensal and clinical clades, development of highly adapted methods and legislations are still required. In the present review, we evaluate some aspects of Enterococcus spp. related to their probiotic properties and safety concerns as well as the current and potential application in food systems and treatment of infections. The regulatory status of commensal Enterococcus candidates for food, feed, probiotic use, and recommended methods to assess and ensure their safety are also discussed. | 2018 | 30123208 |
| 4071 | 17 | 0.9999 | Antibiotic resistance in the environment: a link to the clinic? The emergence of resistance to all classes of antibiotics in previously susceptible bacterial pathogens is a major challenge to infectious disease medicine. The origin of the genes associated with resistance has long been a mystery. There is a growing body of evidence that is demonstrating that environmental microbes are highly drug resistant. The genes that make up this environmental resistome have the potential to be transferred to pathogens and indeed there is some evidence that at least some clinically relevant resistance genes have originated in environmental microbes. Understanding the extent of the environmental resistome and its mobilization into pathogenic bacteria is essential for the management and discovery of antibiotics. | 2010 | 20850375 |
| 4195 | 18 | 0.9999 | Vancomycin drug resistance, an emerging threat to animal and public health. The need to supply quality food for the growing human population has led to the revolutionization of food production and processing in recent years. Meanwhile, food production sources are at risk of microbial attack, while the use of antibiotics to counter them is posing another threat to food safety and security. Vancomycin was used as the first line of defense against multiple drug-resistant bacteria salient of which is methicillin-resistant S. aureus. The emergence of the vancomycin resistance gene in bacteria impairs the efficacy of antibiotics on the one hand while its harmful residues impart food safety concerns on the other. Currently, a novel set of resistance genes "Van cluster" is circulating in a wider range of bacteria. Considerable economic losses in terms of low production and food safety are associated with this emerging resistance. The current review focuses on the emergence of vancomycin resistance and its impact on food safety. The review proposes the need for further research on the probable routes, mechanisms, and implications of vancomycin resistance from animals to humans and vice versa. | 2022 | 36387389 |
| 4192 | 19 | 0.9999 | Food and human gut as reservoirs of transferable antibiotic resistance encoding genes. The increase and spread of antibiotic resistance (AR) over the past decade in human pathogens has become a worldwide health concern. Recent genomic and metagenomic studies in humans, animals, in food and in the environment have led to the discovery of a huge reservoir of AR genes called the resistome that could be mobilized and transferred from these sources to human pathogens. AR is a natural phenomenon developed by bacteria to protect antibiotic-producing bacteria from their own products and also to increase their survival in highly competitive microbial environments. Although antibiotics are used extensively in humans and animals, there is also considerable usage of antibiotics in agriculture, especially in animal feeds and aquaculture. The aim of this review is to give an overview of the sources of AR and the use of antibiotics in these reservoirs as selectors for emergence of AR bacteria in humans via the food chain. | 2013 | 23805136 |