title: Recent investigations and updated criteria for the assessment of antibiotic resistance in food lactic acid bacteria.
abstract: The worldwide use, and misuse, of antibiotics for about sixty years in the so-called antibiotic era, has been estimated in some one to ten million tons, a relevant part of which destined for non-therapeutic purposes such as growth promoting treatments for livestock or crop protection. As highly adaptable organisms, bacteria have reacted to this dramatic change in their environment by developing several well-known mechanisms of antibiotic resistance and are becoming increasingly resistant to conventional antibiotics. In recent years, commensal bacteria have become a cause of concern since they may act as reservoirs for the antibiotic resistance genes found in human pathogens. In particular, the food chain has been considered the main route for the introduction of animal and environment associated antibiotic resistant bacteria into the human gastrointestinal tract (GIT) where these genes may be transferred to pathogenic and opportunistic bacteria. As fundamental microbial communities in a large variety of fermented foods and feed, the anaerobe facultative, aerotolerant lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are likely to play a pivotal role in the resistance gene exchange occurring in the environment, food, feed and animal and human GIT. Therefore their antibiotic resistance features and their genetic basis have recently received increasing attention. The present article summarises the results of the latest studies on the most typical genera belonging to the low G + C branch of LAB. The evolution of the criteria established by European regulatory bodies to ensure a safe use of microorganisms in food and feed, including the assessment of their antibiotic resistance is also reviewed.
authors.affiliation: Sezione di Microbiologia Alimentare, Ambientale ed Industriale, Dipartimento di Scienze Alimentari, agro-Ingegneristiche, Fisiche, Economico-Agrarie e del Territorio (SAIFET), Università Politecnica delle Marche, via Brecce Bianche, 60131 Ancona, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Clementi
authors.forename: Lucia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Aquilanti
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001419:Bacteria / Q000187:drug effects*; D024881:Drug Resistance, Bacterial; D005516:Food Microbiology; D041981:Gastrointestinal Tract / Q000382:microbiology*; D006801:Humans; D019344:Lactic Acid / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D019344:Lactic Acid