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Salmonella is known to commonly exist in pigs and presents the possibility of human infection both through the consumption of pork products and by contact with hog waste in contaminated water supplies. We propose here to investigate the dissemination and transmission of antimicrobial resistance genes among Salmonella strains derived from pigs reared in large commercial operations.
Antimicrobial resistance in bacterial pathogens presents a growing threat to human health. The development of resistance may be fostered by the therapeutic and subtherapeutic use of antimicrobials in food animal production. Of particular concern among resistant bacterial species is Salmonella, since it can persist without clinical signs in a wide variety of food-producing animals, but can cause disease in humans, often with deadly consequences. Salmonella is known to commonly exist in pigs and presents the possibility of human infection both through the consumption of pork products and by contact with hog waste in contaminated water supplies.
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We propose here to investigate the dissemination and transmission of antimicrobial resistance genes among Salmonella strains derived from pigs reared in large commercial operations. It is possible that the intensive nature of the animal production environment fosters the transfer of resistance determinants and the creation of multiresistant strains. To test this, we will use a collection of over 1100 resistant and susceptible Salmonella strains that we have cultured from longitudinal studies on commercial swine farms. We will perform genomic fingerprinting to identify related strains, then characterize the resistance determinants of representative isolates. By correlating strain phylogeny with resistance genotype, we will determine whether resistance factors are transferred in the animal production environment, and whether the use of antimicrobials on farms promotes the dissemination of resistant strains.