Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) within foodborne pathogens such as Salmonella and Campylobacter represents an escalating public health challenge across Europe, underscoring a persistent threat that demands urgent multidisciplinary attention. A recent comprehensive report jointly issued by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) reveals complex patterns of resistance across human and animal reservoirs, reflecting diverse antimicrobial usage practices and the intricate dynamics of microbial evolution in food production systems.
The persistence of resistance to crucial antimicrobials, particularly ciprofloxacin—a cornerstone fluoroquinolone antibiotic—among Salmonella and Campylobacter strains isolated from both human cases and food-producing animals, signals a pressing clinical concern. Ciprofloxacin has long served as a frontline therapeutic agent for severe bacterial infections in humans; however, its efficacy is increasingly compromised by the widespread emergence of resistant strains. This trend is particularly alarming for Salmonella, where resistance levels in human isolates have intensified over recent years, accentuating the growing difficulty in managing salmonellosis infections effectively.
In Campylobacter spp., resistance to ciprofloxacin has become so pervasive that current clinical guidelines advise against its use for human treatment of Campylobacter infections across Europe. This development underscores the critical impact of antimicrobial applications in veterinary contexts on human health, as resistant strains originating in animal populations transit through the food chain to humans. Consequently, regulatory frameworks have tightened, restricting ciprofloxacin administration in food-producing animals as an essential stewardship measure to preserve its clinical utility.
More broadly, both Salmonella and Campylobacter isolates exhibit high resistance frequencies not only to ciprofloxacin but also to other widely deployed antimicrobials including ampicillin, tetracyclines, and sulfonamides. These agents have historically been employed extensively in veterinary and human medicine, promoting selective pressures that facilitate the persistence and dissemination of resistant bacterial populations. This resistance landscape compromises treatment efficacy and complicates infection control strategies, necessitating enhanced surveillance and judicious antimicrobial use policies.
An emerging and particularly concerning facet revealed by the report is the detection of carbapenemase-producing Escherichia coli strains in food-producing animals and meat products in several European countries. Carbapenems represent last-resort antibiotics for multidrug-resistant infections in clinical settings, and they are categorically not authorized for use in animal husbandry. The increasing identification of carbapenemase enzymes within E. coli originating from agricultural sources suggests alarming potential for horizontal gene transfer events and cross-sector dissemination, thereby elevating the risk to human health and posing a significant challenge to existing antimicrobial stewardship frameworks.
Despite these ongoing concerns, the report highlights evidence of positive trends indicative of effective intervention measures. Notably, several countries have reported substantial decreases in resistance rates in both human and animal Salmonella isolates to specific antimicrobials such as ampicillin and tetracyclines over the last decade. This phenomenon suggests that targeted, data-driven interventions—ranging from optimized antimicrobial prescribing practices to enhanced biosecurity in livestock production—can yield tangible improvements in resistance profiles at national and regional scales.
In parallel, resistance to erythromycin—a first-line therapeutic for Campylobacter infections in humans—has exhibited a downward trend in several European nations among both human and food-producing animal isolates. This favorable development signals improvements in antimicrobial management and could support more effective treatment options, thereby reducing the burden of Campylobacter-associated morbidity and potential complications.
Importantly, multidrug resistance—defined as resistance to two or more critically important antimicrobials simultaneously—remains comparatively low across Salmonella, Campylobacter, and Escherichia coli populations in Europe. This observation underscores that while resistance to individual antimicrobials persists at high levels, the emergence of extensively resistant strains has not yet reached acute proportions in many contexts, preserving some latitude for therapeutic interventions.
Nevertheless, nuanced patterns emerge within E. coli, where prior declines in antimicrobial resistance in poultry have plateaued. This stabilization rather than continued reduction in resistance levels highlights the complexity of resistance ecology and the need for sustained, adaptive strategies that address the multifactorial drivers of AMR, including antimicrobial usage intensity, farming practices, and environmental dissemination pathways.
The multifaceted nature of antimicrobial resistance reflects deeply interconnected factors spanning human clinical practices, veterinary medicine, agricultural production systems, and food safety regulatory environments. Variations observed across European countries in AMR prevalence and trends reveal disparities driven by diverse antimicrobial consumption patterns, animal husbandry methodologies, and infection prevention protocols, emphasizing the necessity for coordinated One Health strategies that integrate human, animal, and environmental health considerations holistically.
The One Health framework is critical for effectively confronting AMR in foodborne pathogens. By recognizing the bidirectional transmission potential of resistant bacteria between humans and animals through food chains, environmental reservoirs, and direct contact, integrated surveillance and intervention programs can be designed to mitigate resistance emergence and spread. This comprehensive approach necessitates harmonized data collection, risk assessment, and policy implementation across sectors to safeguard public health while supporting sustainable food systems.
Continued progress hinges on responsible antimicrobial stewardship, judicious policy enforcement, and innovation in infection prevention. Measures such as optimizing antimicrobial prescribing through evidence-based guidelines, enhancing biosecurity and husbandry conditions to reduce infection pressures, and advancing rapid diagnostic technologies are central components of a robust response. Together, these actions aim to curtail the selection and propagation of resistant strains, thereby preserving antimicrobial efficacy and ensuring effective treatment options remain available.
Importantly, public health protection requires ongoing vigilance given that AMR threatens to undermine decades of medical advancements. The progressive narrowing of effective antimicrobial arsenals due to resistance compromises not only treatment outcomes but also increases healthcare costs, hospitalization durations, and mortality risks associated with foodborne infections. This underscores the imperative for sustained investment in surveillance infrastructures, research, and cross-sector collaboration to adaptively manage the evolving AMR landscape.
The latest data encompass AMR surveillance activities conducted during 2023–2024, integrating submissions from 27 EU Member States, the United Kingdom (Northern Ireland), and five additional non-EU countries. These contributions encompass isolates from humans, food-producing animals, and meat products, representing a comprehensive One Health surveillance effort that facilitates nuanced understanding of AMR epidemiology and informs targeted public health responses across Europe.
In summary, antimicrobial resistance in pivotal foodborne pathogens remains a formidable public health challenge in Europe. Although alarming resistance levels persist, evidence of declining trends in several antimicrobial agents and bacterial species provides cautious optimism. Sustained commitment to One Health principles, underpinned by robust surveillance, responsible antimicrobial use, and enhanced infection control, is essential to curtail AMR progression and protect the effectiveness of vital antimicrobial therapies for future generations.
Subject of Research: Antimicrobial resistance in foodborne bacteria (Salmonella, Campylobacter, Escherichia coli) across Europe, focusing on surveillance data from 2023–2024.
Article Title: Widespread Antimicrobial Resistance in European Foodborne Pathogens: Challenges and Emerging Trends
News Publication Date: 2024
Web References:
European Food Safety Authority: http://efsa.europa.eu
European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control: http://ecdc.europa.eu
Joint EFSA-ECDC AMR report: https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/publications-data/european-union-summary-report-antimicrobial-resistance-zoonotic-and-indicator-10
Keywords: Antimicrobial Resistance, Foodborne Bacteria, Salmonella, Campylobacter, Escherichia coli, Ciprofloxacin Resistance, One Health, Carbapenemase-Producing Bacteria, Antibiotic Stewardship, Public Health, Food Safety, Zoonotic Infections
Tags: antimicrobial resistance in foodborne pathogensantimicrobial usage in food productionCampylobacter antibiotic resistanceciprofloxacin resistance in Salmonellaclinical guidelines for Campylobacter treatmentEFSA and ECDC antimicrobial reportfluoroquinolone resistance in bacteriaimpact of veterinary antibiotics on human healthmultidrug resistance in foodborne bacteriapublic health challenges in Europesalmonellosis treatment difficultiesspread of resistant bacterial strains
