Antimikrobna rezistencija u lancu proizvodnje mesa

Abstract

The modern concept of food production, defined through the constant improvement of the health and welfare of farm animals, the increase in the yield of high-value proteins of animal origin, is accompanied by a series of negative consequences, manifested through the development of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), economic losses in production, and the death of the individual. The irrational use of antimicrobial agents in veterinary medicine leads to selective pressure on the diversity of microorganisms in farm animals, the ocurrence of resistant strains of various pathogenic microorganisms of importance for the meat chain, the horizontal transfer of resistance genes and the development of a series of mutations in microorganisms, leading to the development of resistant, non pathogenic microorganisms that further spread through the food production chain, to the final consumer. Phenotypic and genotypic characterization of resistant strains of pathogenic microorganisms, with the application of advanced molecular techniques, whole genome sequencing, and metagenomic analysis, enables the discovery of sources and transmission routes of resistant strains of pathogenic bacteria, with the determination of the presence of resistance at the level of the entire diversity of present microorganisms, through the recognition of resistance genes. Categorization of farms and slaughterhouses based on recognized, harmonized epidemiological indicators, according to defined risk, along with the improvement of biosecurity measures on farms, improvement of process hygiene at the level of slaughterhouses, monitoring of the use of antibiotics, and surveillance of the AMR could improve the concept of food production, i.e., public health.