International Journal of Antimicrobial Agents publish this investigation article

July 1^st, 2000

Antimicrobial resistance can make the efficient treatment of bacterial infections in humans and animals more difficult. Antimicrobial use in food animals may be one of the factors contributing to resistance. The Spanish surveillance network VAV has established a baseline of antimicrobial resistance in Escherichia coli strains from healthy pigs. Minimum inhibitory concentration and patterns of resistance to antimicrobials used in animals and humans were determined for 205 faecal strains isolated in a sampling frame of four slaughterhouses in Spain from 220 pigs in 1998. Higher levels of resistance were seen against antimicrobial agents authorised for use in food animals especially tetracycline, sulphonamides, trimethoprim and amoxycillin. All isolates were susceptible to antimicrobials employed mainly in humans such as ceftazidime, cefotaxime, imipenem, aztreonam and amikacin

Teshager T., Herrero IA., Porrero MC., Garde J., Moreno MA. and Dominguez L..

Surveillance of antimicrobial resistance in Escherichia coli strains isolated from pigs at Spanish slaughterhouses

Surveillance of antimicrobial resistance in Escherichia coli strains isolated from pigs at Spanish slaughterhouses

	Departamento de Sanidad Animal. Facultad de Veterinaria. Universidad Complutense (UCM).
	Servicio de Zoonosis de Transmisión Alimentaria y Resistencia a Antimicrobianos (ZTA). Centro de Vigilancia Sanitaria Veterinaria (VISAVET). Universidad Complutense (UCM).
	Dirección General de Ganaderia. Ministerio de Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentación (MAPA).