Significant reduction of vancomycin resistant E. faecium in the Norwegian broiler population coincided with measures taken by the broiler industry to reduce antimicrobial resistant bacteria

PLoS One. 2019 Dec 12;14(12):e0226101. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0226101. eCollection 2019.

Abstract

Vancomycin resistant enterococci (VRE) belong to the most common causes of nosocomial infections worldwide. It has been reported that use of the glycopeptide growth promoter avoparcin selected for a significant livestock-reservoir of VRE in many European countries, including Norway. However, although avoparcin was banned as a feed-additive in 1995, VRE have for unknown reasons consistently been reported in samples from Norwegian broilers. When avoparcin was banned, broiler-feed was supplemented with the polyether ionophore narasin in order to control the diseases coccidiosis and the frequent sequela necrotic enteritis. A potential link between transferrable vancomycin resistance and reduced susceptibility to narasin was recently reported. The use of narasin as a feed additive was abolished by the Norwegian broiler industry in 2016 and since then, broilers have been reared without in-feed antibacterial supplements. In this study, we demonstrate that all VRE isolates from Norwegian broilers collected in 2006-2014 displayed reduced susceptibility to narasin. Surveillance data collected two years after the narasin abolishment show a significant reduction in VRE, below the detection limit of the surveillance method, and a concurrent marked reduction in Enterococcus faecium with reduced susceptibility to narasin. The significant decline of E. faecium with reduced susceptibility to these antimicrobial compounds also coincided with an increased focus on cleaning and disinfection between broiler flocks. Furthermore, data from a controlled in vivo experiment using Ross 308 broilers indicate that the proportion of E. faecium with reduced susceptibility to narasin was heavily reduced in broilers fed a narasin-free diet compared to a diet supplemented with narasin. Our results are consistent with that the abolishment of this feed additive, possibly in combination with the increased focus on cleaning and disinfection, has had a substantial impact on the occurrence of VRE in the Norwegian broiler population.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / pharmacology
  • Antimicrobial Stewardship / organization & administration
  • Antimicrobial Stewardship / standards
  • Chickens / microbiology*
  • Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial*
  • Enterococcus faecium* / isolation & purification
  • Food Industry / organization & administration*
  • Food Industry / standards
  • Food Industry / trends
  • Gram-Positive Bacterial Infections / epidemiology*
  • Gram-Positive Bacterial Infections / microbiology
  • Gram-Positive Bacterial Infections / prevention & control
  • Gram-Positive Bacterial Infections / veterinary
  • Infection Control / organization & administration*
  • Infection Control / standards
  • Infection Control / trends
  • Microbial Sensitivity Tests
  • Norway / epidemiology
  • Poultry Diseases / epidemiology
  • Poultry Diseases / microbiology
  • Poultry Diseases / prevention & control
  • Pyrans / pharmacology
  • Vancomycin Resistance / physiology
  • Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococci* / isolation & purification

Substances

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents
  • Pyrans
  • narasin

Grants and funding

This study was funded by the Norwegian Research Council (https://www.forskningsradet.no/, grant number 250212/E50). The funder had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.