ANTIBACTERIAL RESISTANCE AND FOOD

摘要

Antibacterials are substances used against several bacteria and stop their growth and proliferation. They are commonly used to treat infectious diseases in human and veterinary medicine for instance in the form of antibiotics. Antibacterial treatments also have uses in plants and foods for instance in the form of biocides to fight against pathogenic microbes, some of them responsible for food-borne diseases such as Salmonella, Campylobacter and Listeria. Antibacterial resistance refers to the ability of microbes to withstand antibacterial treatments. It is an issue of concern for scientists and policymakers since the overuse or misuse of antibiotic treatments has been linked to the emergence and spread of microbes which are resistant to them, rendering such treatments ineffective against them. This can pose a serious risk to public health - a well known example being the Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacterium, some strains of which have been reported to be resistant to 3-lactam antibiotics (penicillines) and cephalosporines. In the field of food safety, policy makers need to identify any potential risks to consumers and to establish the best control options to reduce the risk associated with the development of antibacterial resistance. Animals and food are characterized as the vehicles for transmitting antibacterial resistance. The BIOHAZ Panel of EFSA in July 2008 issued an opinion on food-borne antibacterial resistance as a biological hazard that could become a vehicle for transmitting antibacterianl resistant bacteria to humans. It looked at food contaminated by bacteria present in live animals, fresh produce from land recently irrigated with contaminated water, and food contaminated during handling and preparation. This opinion made recommendations for preventing and controlling transmission, highlighting good hygiene practices at all stages of the food chain as a critical prevention and control factor. Scientists as well as risk assessors are examining the several factors that could lead to antibacterial resistance via the food chain, providing the official authorities and all relevant stakeholders with the appropriate scientific advices. This paper presents a clear and vivid way the various stages by which bacteria develop resistance to antibacterial agents using a special scientific training video, according to the selective pressure exerted by the type of drug used in a therapy and how it is then transported to other sensitive strains. These Mechanisms of antibacterial resistance process includes 7 stages as follows: Mutation, Destruction or Inactivation, Efflux, Genetic transfer. Conjugation, Transformation and Transduction.