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The present study is aimed at determining the progression of antimicrobial resistance phenotypes among Enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC) isolates of animal and human origin over the past thirty years. At the conclusion of the proposed research, the investigators will generate baseline data on the trend of antibiotic resistance in EHEC which may help elucidate the role that the use of antibiotics in food animals plays in the development of antibiotic resistance in foodborne pathogens. The will also have a better understanding of the genetic basis of the development of antibiotic resistance in these pathogens and of how heterologous resistance determinants are acquired and disseminated.
During the past decade, bacteria that cause human diseases have developed resistance to many of the antibiotics commonly used for treatment. Excessive use for treating animal diseases, and subtherapeutic applications of antibiotics for disease prevention and growth promotion in animal husbandry may have played a significant role in accelerating the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Such organisms can then be transferred from animals to humans through the food chain. Enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC) have been a significant cause of foodborne illness in the United States. These pathogens also have been acquiring resistance phenotypes. In order to control the emergence and spread of antibiotic resistance, we need to better understand the trend of resistance and the mechanisms that lead to antibiotic resistance in foodborne pathogens.