To determine current rate of antimicrobial resistance, a total of 236 isolates from milk samples of dairy cattle with mastitis in Korea during 2010-2011 were examined against 12 antimicrobials using disc diffusion method: 67 Staphylococcus aureus, 74 coagulase-negative Staphylococcus spp. (CNS), and 95 Escherichia coli isolates. The isolates examined in this study were submitted by Local Veterinary Service Laboratories located in 13 provinces and metropolitan cities nationwide. The highest rates of resistance among S. aureus isolates were against ampicillin (56.7%) and penicillin (56.7%), followed by kanamycin (11.9%). All S. aureus isolates were sensitive to lincomycin, amikacin, and cephalothin. Only one isolate showed resistance to tetracycline and oxacillin, respectively. Less than 10% of the S. aureus isolates presented resistance to erythromycin, neomycin, and gentamicin. Among CNS isolates, the most frequently observed resistance was to lincomycin (44.5%), followed by penicillin (28.3%), ampicillin (18.9%), tetracycline (17.5%), kanamycin (13.5%), and erythromycin (9.4%). All or most of the CNS isolates were sensitive to cephalothin, amikacin, neomycin, and gentamicin. The highest rate of resistance among E. coli isolates was against tetracycline (26.3%), followed by streptomycin (21%), neomycin (15%), kanamycin (12.6%), and gentamicin (10.5%). Amikacin was the only antimicrobial to which no E. coli isolates showed resistance. Around 10% of the S. aureus isolates and 15% of the CNS isolates showed resistance against three or more antimicrobials simultaneously, while more than 30% of the E. coli isolates did.

Salmonellosis constitutes an important public health problem in both developing and developed countries, including Korea. The aims of present study were to investigate the serovar and antimicrobial resistance of Salmonella isolated from food animals and animal products in slaughterhouses and farms. A total of 323 Salmonella were isolated from food animals (n=277) and meats (n=46) during 2010. Of the isolates, 21 different serovars were identified. The predominant serovars were S. Rissen (35%) and S. Montevideo (24.3) in healthy pigs, while S. Enteritidis (25.5%) in healthy chicken. S. Typhimurium (88.8%) was predominant in disease pigs, while S. Gallinarum (29.2%) and S. Montevideo (26.9%) were in diseased chickens. Among meat samples, S. Typhimurium (57.1%) was the most common serovar in pork but S. Enteritidis (38.7%) and S. Montevideo(32.3%) were in chikcen meats. Analysis of antimicrobial resistance patterns revealed that 20.7% of the isolates were sensitive to all the 15 drugs tested. The isolates were frequently resistant to nalidixic acid (47.7%), tetracycline (38.4%), streptomycin (33.7%), and ampicillin (32.8%). The resistance to quinolone and 3rd generation cephalosporins was higher in chicken and chicken meat isolates. Of the 323 isolates, 174 (53.9%) were resistant to one or more CLSI subclass, and 117 (36.2%) showed multiple-resistance. Our findings showed that multiple resistant Salmonella organism are widespread in animals and animal products in Korea. To prevent the transmission or exposure for consumers of antimicrobial resistant Salmonella, policies and guidelines aiming at prudential use of critical antimicrobials for humans are needed.

Campylobacterosis is the most common food borne bacterial disease in many countries. Food animals and animal products are considered to be the reservoir of the Campylobacter species. The aim of this study was to investigate the antimicrobial resistance of Campylobacter spp. from food animals and raw meats in slaughterhouses. A total of 90 Campylobacter jejuni (C. jejuni) and 127 Campylobacter coli (C. coli) were isolated, for which antimicrobial susceptibility was examined using broth dilution method. Resistance to macrolide antimicrobials was higher among C. coli isolates than among C. jejuni. Among both C. jejuni and C. coli isolates, the most frequently observed resistance was to nalidixic acid, ciprofloxacin, and tetracycline. No erythromycin resistance was observed among C. jejuni isolates from cattle, pig and beef. However, 28.3% (n=13) and 25% (n=3) of C. coli isolates from pigs and pork showed resistance to erythromycin, respectively. The predominant profile of multiple resistance among C. jejuni and C. coli isolates was ciprofloxacin/tetracycline/nalidixic acid resistance (46.7%) and ciprofloxacin/nalidixic acid resistance (31.5%), respectively. This finding has important implication for food safety and public health.

Staphylococcus aureus is an important food-borne pathogen, which is present on the skin and mucosa of animals. Some of the S. aureus strains are causative agent of food poisoning syndrome. The aim of this study was to investigate the antimicrobial resistance of S. aureus isolates from raw meats in slaughterhouses during 2010. From 17,874 raw meat samples tested, a total of 190 S. aureus were isolated, for which antimicrobial susceptibility to 17 agents was examined using broth dilution method. Among isolates from beef, chicken and pork, 20 (51.3%), 20 (24.7%) and 9 (12.9%) were sensitive to all antimicrobials tested, respectively. Isolates from pork and chicken meats showed much higher resistance, compared to isolates from beef. Penicillin resistance was the most frequent among isolates from beef (35.3%) and pork (75.7%), while tetracycline resistance was among those from chicken meats (48.1%). A total of 3 methicillin resistant S. aureus (MRSA) were detected from beef (5.1%, 2/39) and pork (1.4%, 1/70). Although the prevalence of MRSA was low, the presence of antimicrobial resistant S. aureus such as MRSA suggests that further investigation and strict surveillance on MRSA and antimicrobial resistance are needed.