title: Antibiotic susceptibility patterns and resistance genes of starter cultures and probiotic bacteria used in food.
abstract: A survey of starter and probiotic cultures was carried out to determine the current antibiotic resistance situation in microbial food additives in Switzerland. Two hundred isolates from 90 different sources were typed by molecular and other methods to belong to the genera Lactobacillus (74 samples), Staphylococcus (33 samples), Bifidobacterium (6 samples), Pediococcus (5 samples), or were categorized as lactococci or streptococci (82 samples). They were screened for phenotypic resistances to 20 antibiotics by the disk diffusion method. Twenty-seven isolates exhibiting resistances that are not an intrinsic feature of the respective genera were further analyzed by microarray hybridization as a tool to trace back phenotypic resistances to specific genetic determinants. Their presence was finally verified by PCR amplification or Southern hybridization. These studies resulted in the detection of the tetracycline resistance gene tet(K) in 5 Staphylococcus isolates used as meat starter cultures, the tetracycline resistance gene tet(W) in the probiotic cultures Bifidobacterium lactis DSM 10140 and Lactobacillus reuteri SD 2112 (residing on a plasmid), and the lincosamide resistance gene lnu(A) (formerly linA) in L. reuteri SD 2112.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Food Biotechnology, Institute of Food Science and Nutrition, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH), ETH-Zentrum, CH-8092 Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Sabine
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kastner
authors.forename: Vincent
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Perreten
authors.forename: Helen
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Bleuler
authors.forename: Gabriel
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Hugenschmidt
authors.forename: Christophe
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lacroix
authors.forename: Leo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Meile
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001644:Bifidobacterium / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics; D043302:Cultured Milk Products / Q000382:microbiology*; D005516:Food Microbiology; D005524:Food Technology / Q000592:standards; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D007778:Lactobacillus / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics; D008461:Meat Products / Q000382:microbiology*; D010376:Pediococcus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics; D012329:RNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics; D013210:Staphylococcus / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics; D013557:Switzerland; D013753:Tetracycline Resistance / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D012329:RNA, Bacterial; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S