What is drug resistant salmonella? – Health

At least 92 people were affected this year by a salmonella bacteria resistant to drugs, announced yesterday the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The strain responsible for this outbreak was detected in 29 states and sent 21 people to the hospital.

This strain is particularly worrying as it does not respond to at least 12 antibiotics commonly used to treat this type of infection, officials said. To learn more about drug-resistant salmonella, Health he's interviewed with Sam Alcaine, PhD, assistant professor of food safety at Cornell University. Here's what he says consumers should know.

What is salmonella?

Salmonella is a bacterium that lives in the intestines of mammals, reptiles and birds. In humans, it can cause nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, as well as headaches, chills and other flu-like symptoms.

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"When an animal or a human being is sick, the bacteria is released into the environment," explains Alcaine. "He makes his way into a food source or water source and is ingested again, continuing the cycle."

In the intestinal tract, the salmonella bacteria attack the mucosa, which is why blood is sometimes present in the stool. "It's very unpleasant," says Alcaine, "but most of the time, if people have a healthy immune system, they will look after themselves."

How is drug-resistant salmonella different?

Sometimes, however, a strain of salmonella is particularly virulent, which means it causes more severe symptoms and does not go away as easily. Salmonella, even "normal" strains, can also be dangerous for people with compromised immune systems who can not fight bacteria alone.

In these cases, doctors usually prescribe antibiotics, such as ciprofloxacin and ceftriaxone, to kill salmonella bacteria. And that's where the problem of drug-resistant strains comes in.

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"We have seen a general increase in the number of bacteria – whether salmonella, E. coli or many other bacteria – with increased resistance to antibiotics," says Alcaine. Experts say that several factors contribute to this growing problem, including the inappropriate prescription of antibiotics to patients and the overuse of antibiotics in industrial farming.

"If someone falls with any of these medications [multidrug resistant] salmonellas and this strain has not been tested to find out which antibiotics it might be resistant to, a doctor might prescribe typical drugs that will not work, "explains Alcaine. "And this will give the bacteria more time to continue the infection and worsen it."

What do you need to know about the current epidemic?

The outbreak reported yesterday by the CDC has continued since January and sickened 92 people. Those who became ill are between 1 and 105 years old and 69% are women.

The CDC interviewed 54 people who became ill and 89% of them reported consuming raw chicken products (such as whole chicken, ground chicken or chicken pieces) bought raw. One person became ill after eating raw pet foods, while another said they live with someone working in an establishment that raises or processes chickens.

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Until now, no provider has been identified as the source of this outbreak. Rather, this specific strain has been highlighted in a variety of different chicken products from different locations.

According to the CDC, this strain is resistant to 12 different antibiotics, including the usual first-line treatments for Salmonella infection. Fortunately, there are still some drugs – including azithromycin, amoxicillin-clavulanic acid and meropenem – to which the bacteria appears to be susceptible.

How can consumers protect themselves?

Poultry is a well-known vector of salmonella, and it's usually the source of Salmonella outbreaks in humans, explains Alcaine. But that does not mean you have to stop eating chicken.

Consumers can protect themselves from the drug-resistant salmonella in the same way that they protect themselves from ordinary salmonella: by washing their hands with soap and water after using the bathroom and before and after have handled raw meat or poultry, making sure that the cutting boards are thoroughly washed after preparing raw food and cooked 165 degrees chicken. (High temperatures kill salmonella bacteria.)

People should also be careful to avoid contamination of other surfaces of the kitchen when they are dealing with raw chicken. "When I was growing up, we washed the raw chicken in the sink before cooking it," explains Alcaine. "We now know you should not do this because splashing water on the carcass will only spread bacteria in your kitchen."

In addition, Alcaine (and the CDC) advise against feeding dogs and cats with foods containing raw chicken. "If they get sick, they will start getting rid of the bacteria and will also make humans sick," he says.

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