Comparison of the efficacy of commercial antimicrobial interventions for reducing antibiotic resistant and susceptible beef-associated Salmonella and Escherichia coli strains

Recent foodborne illnesses associated with antibiotic resistant bacteria infection have increased public health concerns throughout the world, particularly through the consumption of animal-derived foods, such as beef products. Even though commercial antimicrobial interventions in meat industries are overall efficient to eliminate bacterial contamination, the capability of antibiotic resistant bacteria of resisting to antimicrobial interventions, compared to the susceptible bacterial population, was not fully understood. The aim of this study was to compare the impacts of various antimicrobial interventions used for beef processing on antibiotic resistant and susceptible strains of Salmonella and Escherichia coli. A systematic literature search was conducted to identify, evaluate and summarize primary research that provide quantitative information about the efficacy of various antimicrobial interventions in reducing antibiotic resistant and susceptible bacterial contamination of raw beef products. Eleven citations (of 409) were determined to be relevant to address the question (nine citations for Salmonella and two for Escherichia coli) and eligible for data extraction and subsequent meta-analysis. Through the comprehensive search, data for five categories of antimicrobial interventions, including acid, oxidizer, physical, thermal treatments, and others, were summarized. Ratio of the efficacy of eliminating antibiotic resistant to susceptible contamination by a specific intervention was calculated, showing most of efficacy ratios were around 1.0. The results indicate that the efficacy of antimicrobial interventions commonly used during beef processing in reducing bacteria is not affected by their antibiotic resistant profiles.