The incidence of antibiotic resistance in Salmonella and Campylobacter remains high in Europe. Latest figures from the region reveal that Campylobacter bacteria from humans and poultry continues to show very high resistance to ciprofloxacin, a fluoroquinolone antibiotic that has been commonly used to treat some bacterial infections in humans.
Campylobacteriosis continues to be the most reported zoonosis in the European Union (E.U.), as well as the most frequent cause of foodborne illness.
Data from the 27 E.U. Member States, Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and the U.K., reveal that growing resistance trends have been observed in Campylobacter jejuni, isolated from chickens and humans, according to the latest report from The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), which reviews data from humans and poultry from 2020, along with older data from other species.
For Salmonella enteridis, the most common type of Salmonella found in humans, increasing trends of resistance to quinolones/flouroquinolones have also been observed. In isolates from animals, resistance to these antibiotics in C. jejuni and S. enteriditis was generally moderate to high.
Some positives
While resistance to certain antibiotics may be rising, simultaneous resistance to two critically important antibiotics remains low for Escherichia coli, Salmonella and Campylobacter in both humans and food producing animals.
A decline in resistance to tetracyclines and ampicillin in Salmonella isolated from humans was recorded in nine and 10 countries, respectively, over the period 2016-2020. This was particularly evident in Salmonella typhimurium. However, despite this decline, resistance to tetracyclines and ampicillin remains high in bacteria from both humans and animals.
In more than half of the E.U. Member States, a statistically significant decreasing trend in the prevalence of extended-spectrum Beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing E. coli was observed in food-producing animals. This is an important finding as particular strains of ESBL-producing E. coli are responsible for serious infections in humans.
Carbapenem resistance remains extremely rare in E. coli and Salmonella from food producing animals. Given that carbapenems are antibiotics of last resort, resistance to these in zoonotic bacteria would be particularly concerning, the ECDC and EFSA note.
They also note that, although the latest findings and trends are consistent with previously reported data, the COVID-19 pandemic has had an impact on public health.
New European Union veterinary antimicrobial rules
How veterinary medicines are controlled, monitored and authorized in the E.U. has substantially changed with the implementation of Regulation (EU) 2019/6 on veterinary medicinal products earlier this year.
Preventive antimicrobial use is now permitted only in exceptional circumstances. Antimicrobials can only be administered to an individual animal, or to a restricted number of animals, when the risk of infection is very high and the consequences are likely to be severe.
When an antibiotic is used for prophylaxis under exceptional circumstances, it must be limited in quantity and duration to cover the risk to the individual animal.
New E.U. rules on the use of antiparasitics will come into effect in July.
Antibiotic resistance still major health concern in Europe
The World Health Organization (WHO) notes that antimicrobial resistance in its European Region, which comprises 42 countries, remains a major public concern.
Estimates from the European Economic Area – the 27 E.U. Member States plus Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway – alone show that, each year, more than 670,000 human infections are due to antibiotic resistant bacteria. Approximately 33,000 people die as a consequence.
The WHO Regional Office for Europe, working with the ECDC, has found that resistance is widespread across the region, but varies widely depending on bacterial species, antimicrobial group and geographical region.
A north-to-south and west-to-east gradient was generally observed, with higher resistance percentages in the southern and eastern parts of Europe. WHO notes, however, that greater efforts and investments are needed across the region to address the problem.
Antibiotic resistance - 25 Global Actions for 2025
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