AsianScientist (Sep. 8, 2017) – Scientists in China have detected antibiotic-resistance genes in food used in marine fisheries. They report their findings in the journal Environmental Science & Technology.
From isolated caves to ancient permafrost, antibiotic-resistant bacteria and genes for resistance have been showing up in unexpected places. Many disease-causing bacteria, such as those that cause tuberculosis, have developed resistance to common antibiotics and drugs of last resort. To fight this major public health threat, scientists are working to figure out how resistance spreads among bacteria.
One reservoir for resistance genes where they can be exchanged among bacteria—and possibly end up in the food chain—is the sediment in marine fish farms even when no antibiotics have been applied. One suspected source is fishmeal, which is made of low-value fish and seafood byproducts. Millions of tons of fishmeal are used every year and much of it sinks uneaten to the ocean floor.
Previous research has found that fish food, which generally incorporates fishmeal, can contain antibiotics. However, no study has yet measured the abundance of antibiotic resistance genes in the fishmeal.
In this study, scientists from the Dalian University of Technology in China analyzed commercially available fish meal and found 132 antibiotic resistance genes, some of which could potentially confer resistance to common antibiotics and those of last resort, such as vancomycin. Lab testing showed that the application of fishmeal to marine farm sediment samples changed the make-up of bacteria species, boosting the presence of Vibrio bacteria, which contribute to foodborne illnesses worldwide.
The fishmeal also increased the abundance and diversity of antibiotic resistance genes in the test sediments. The results suggest that fishmeal product could itself be a reservoir of these bits of DNA and could promote their distribution globally.
The article can be found at: Han et al. (2017) Fishmeal Application Induces Antibiotic Resistance Gene Propagation in Mariculture Sediment.
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Source: American Chemical Society; Photo: Shutterstock.
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