Factors associated with antimicrobial resistant enterococci in Canadian beef cattle: A scoping review

Kayla M Strong; Kaitlin L Marasco; Jesse Invik; Heather Ganshorn; Richard J Reid-Smith; Cheryl L Waldner; Simon J G Otto; John P Kastelic; Sylvia L Checkley

doi:10.3389/fvets.2023.1155772

Factors associated with antimicrobial resistant enterococci in Canadian beef cattle: A scoping review

Front Vet Sci. 2023 Apr 20:10:1155772. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2023.1155772. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Kayla M Strong^{1

2}, Kaitlin L Marasco¹, Jesse Invik¹, Heather Ganshorn³, Richard J Reid-Smith^{2

4

5}, Cheryl L Waldner⁶, Simon J G Otto^{2

7}, John P Kastelic¹, Sylvia L Checkley^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.
² AMR-One Health Consortium, Calgary, AB, Canada.
³ Libraries and Cultural Resources, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.
⁴ Centre for Food-borne, Environmental and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Public Health Agency of Canada, Guelph, ON, Canada.
⁵ Department of Population Medicine, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada.
⁶ Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada.
⁷ HEAT-AMR (Human-Environment-Animal Transdisciplinary Antimicrobial Resistance) Research Group, School of Public Health, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada.

Abstract

Introduction: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global health concern, occurring when bacteria evolve to render antimicrobials no longer effective. Antimicrobials have important roles in beef production; however, the potential to introduce AMR to people through beef products is a concern. This scoping review identifies factors associated with changes in the prevalence of antimicrobial-resistant Enterococcus spp. applicable to the Canadian farm-to-fork beef continuum.

Methods: Five databases (MEDLINE, BIOSIS, Web of Science, Embase, and CAB Abstracts) were searched for articles published from January 1984 to March 2022, using a priori inclusion criteria. Peer-reviewed articles were included if they met all the following criteria: written in English, applicable to the Canadian beef production context, primary research, in vivo research, describing an intervention or exposure, and specific to Enterococcus spp.

Results: Out of 804 screened articles, 26 were selected for inclusion. The included articles discussed 37 factors potentially associated with AMR in enterococci, with multiple articles discussing at least two of the same factors. Factors discussed included antimicrobial administration (n = 16), raised without antimicrobials (n = 6), metal supplementation (n = 4), probiotics supplementation (n = 3), pen environment (n = 2), essential oil supplementation (n = 1), grass feeding (n = 1), therapeutic versus subtherapeutic antimicrobial use (n = 1), feeding wet distiller grains with solubles (n = 1), nutritional supplementation (n = 1) and processing plant type (n = 1). Results were included irrespective of their quality of evidence.

Discussion: Comparability issues arising throughout the review process were related to data aggregation, hierarchical structures, study design, and inconsistent data reporting. Findings from articles were often temporally specific in that resistance was associated with AMR outcomes at sampling times closer to exposure compared to studies that sampled at longer intervals after exposure. Resistance was often nuanced to unique gene and phenotypic resistance patterns that varied with species of enterococci. Intrinsic resistance and interpretation of minimum inhibitory concentration varied greatly among enterococcal species, highlighting the importance of caution when comparing articles and generalizing findings.

Systematic review registration: [http://hdl.handle.net/1880/113592].

Keywords: Enterococcus spp.; antimicrobial resistance; beef; cattle; scoping review.

Publication types

Systematic Review