Systematic Surveillance and Meta-Analysis of Antimicrobial Resistance and Food Sources from China and the USA

HIGHLIGHTS: Systematic analyzation to assess the spread of AMR bacteria prevalence in retail food products and the subsequent exposure to antibiotic resistance. Out of 13,018 food samples, 5000 samples were contaminated. Meat shows high to medium potential of AMR exposure for Gram-positive and Gram-negative foodborne pathogens. Salmonella and Staphylococcus aureus were two predominant bacteria seen in China and the USA, respectively. Multidrug resistance was detected in most of the food samples from both countries. Food samples were more resistant to β-lactams and tetracyclines. Government bodies were formed to tackle AMR from food. ABSTRACT: Since the discovery of antibiotics in the 20th century, they have been used to fight against infections. The overuse of antibiotics in the wider environment has resulted in the emergence of multidrug-resistant bacteria. In developing countries such as China and developed countries such as the USA, there is evidence of the high pervasiveness of antibiotic-resistant infections. However, the studies on the spread of antibiotic-resistant microorganisms that inform about the consequences are limited. The aim of our study was to analyze and compare antimicrobial resistance (AMR) identified in published research papers from that found in different food sources, which were published between 2012 and December 2021, covering most retail food items. Out of 132 research papers identified, 26 papers have met our strict criteria and are included in the qualitative and quantitative analysis. The selected papers led to 13,018 food samples, out of which 5000 samples were contaminated, including 2276 and 2724 samples from China and the USA, respectively. Meat, aquatic products, milk, and eggs show high to medium potential for AMR exposure to Gram-positive bacteria such as Staphylococcus, Enterococci, etc. and Gram-negative foodborne pathogens such as Campylobacter, Salmonella, Vibrio, etc. Most of the food samples show antibiotic resistance to β-lactams, tetracycline, quinolones, and aminoglycosides. Retail food products such as meat, sea food, and some other food products, as well as AMR genetics and technically important bacteria, are proposed to be better merged with mitigation strategies and systematic One Health AMR surveillance to minimize the knowledge gaps and facilitate comprehensive AMR risk computation for the consumers.