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Review
. 2019 Oct 21:8:158.
doi: 10.1186/s13756-019-0623-2. eCollection 2019.

Selection and dissemination of antimicrobial resistance in Agri-food production

Guyue Cheng #  1 , Jianan Ning #  1 , Saeed Ahmed  1 , Junhong Huang  1 , Rizwan Ullah  2 , Boyu An  1 , Haihong Hao  1 , Menghong Dai  1 , Lingli Huang  3 , Xu Wang  1 , Zonghui Yuan  1   3
Affiliations
Review

Selection and dissemination of antimicrobial resistance in Agri-food production

Guyue Cheng et al. Antimicrob Resist Infect Control. .

Abstract

Public unrest about the use of antimicrobial agents in farming practice is the leading cause of increasing and the emergences of Multi-drug Resistant Bacteria that have placed pressure on the agri-food industry to act. The usage of antimicrobials in food and agriculture have direct or indirect effects on the development of Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) by bacteria associated with animals and plants which may enter the food chain through consumption of meat, fish, vegetables or some other food sources. In addition to antimicrobials, recent reports have shown that AMR is associated with tolerance to heavy metals existing naturally or used in agri-food production. Besides, biocides including disinfectants, antiseptics and preservatives which are widely used in farms and slaughter houses may also contribute in the development of AMR. Though the direct transmission of AMR from food-animals and related environment to human is still vague and debatable, the risk should not be neglected. Therefore, combined global efforts are necessary for the proper use of antimicrobials, heavy metals and biocides in agri-food production to control the development of AMR. These collective measures will preserve the effectiveness of existing antimicrobials for future generations.

Keywords: Antimicrobial resistance; Antimicrobial resistance gene; Biocide; Co-selection; Dissemination; Heavy metal.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing interestsThe authors declare that they have no competing interests.

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