According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are an estimated 430,000 illnesses in the U.S. annually caused by antibiotic-resistant infections from foodborne germs.
CDC recently released data showing both progress and problems from the public health threat of antibiotic-resistant foodborne bacteria.
As part of foodborne disease outbreak response and surveillance in Wisconsin, the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene tests all Salmonella and Shigella bacteria isolates it receives from clinical laboratories for drug resistance. Campylobacter isolates are selectively screened. All these bacteria are isolated from ill patients.
Antibiotic resistance profiles of bacteria can help identify clusters of human illness.
The WSLH shares this data with the Wisconsin Division of Public Health and, if requested, CDC.
The WSLH also participates in the National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring Systems (NARMS), a tri-agency surveillance system that tracks antibiotic resistance in humans (CDC), retail meats (Food and Drug Administration) and food animals (U.S. Department of Agriculture).
The WSLH sends every 20th Salmonella and Shigella isolate and every Listeria, Vibrio and Salmonella Typhi isolate to CDC for further characterization as part of NARMS.
Story by: Jan Klawitter, WSLH Public Affairs Manager