ACE-ART - Assessment and critical evaluation of antibiotic resistance transferability in food chain

Background:

The project Assessment and Critical Evaluation of Antibiotic Resistance Transferability in Food Chain (ACE-ART) is aimed to provide a critical evaluation of the impact on non pathogenic bacteria of antibiotic use in agriculture and in the prophylaxis and treatment of disease in humans. Workpackage 1 of this project has assembled, maintained and used a collection of about 1400 bacterial strains belonging to 20 species of Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, Lactococcus and Streptococcus thermophilus to develop standardised phenotypic procedures to detect strains showing a level of antibiotic resistance atypical for their species. These procedures have been validated by means of a ring test among WP1 members. Collaboration has been established with the Joint Action Team of ISO and FIL/IDF and the process to transform the procedures developed by ACEART into an ISO standard is now in progress. In the meantime, phenotypic results obtained in this year by WP1 have been used by the panel FEEDAP of EFSA for safety assessment of bacterial strains applying for approval as feed additives of plant protection agents. This achievement is of relevance, as this support to EU policy was among the objectives to be achieved by the project.

WP2 has validated the model systems for gene transfer evaluation developed in the first part of the project: 1) plant model based on alfalfa sprouts, 2) bovine ruminal model, 3) streptomycin-treated mice, 4) germ-free and 5) human-flora-associated rats.

The genetic basis of the detected resistances and transmission mechanisms are under extensive investigations in WP3 by means of a full range of molecular biology tools, from PCR and nucleotide sequence analysis to DNA microarray. WP4 has disseminated ACEART results through the web site (the www.aceart.net now accessible through http://d1128636.pre58.site-manager.com/asp/default.asp?p=3) , 3 leaflets distributed to stakeholders via the project mailing list and 3 open meetings (one organized and managed in collaboration with EFSA).

Problem:

The emergence and evolution of antibiotic resistance in bacteria represents a major financial and societal cost. Despite concern that the use of antibiotics in the food chain contributes to the development of resistant bacteria, research has yet to provide the data necessary for the development of an effective risk management strategy. Risk assessment of antibiotic resistant, non pathogenic bacteria present in the food chain requires data on the sources of these bacteria, their genetic composition and potential for resistance transfer. The assessment of drug resistance is a mandatory requirement in the approval process of EFSA for bacterial feed additives and plant protecting agents.

Unfortunately no official or approved analytical tools are available for this assessment, so hampering either the industrial development or the safety evaluation procedures of EFSA.

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