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

IntroductionAntimicrobial 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.MethodsFive 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.ResultsOut 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.DiscussionComparability 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

Total Coliform and Escherichia coli Positivity in Rural Well Water in Alberta, Canada: Spatiotemporal Analysis and Risk Factor Assessment

Water quality and waterborne outbreaks are public health issues of concern in Canada and worldwide. In Alberta, Canada, testing of rural drinking water wells is largely voluntary. The purpose of this research was to describe microbial water quality (i.e., Escherichia coli and total coliform contamination) of rural well water spatiotemporally and produce a relative risk map of the province as well as model associations between environmental risk factors and well water E. coli and total coliform contamination. Overall frequency of occurrence of total coliforms and E. coli-positive wells in the study was 14.6 and 1.5%, respectively. A relative risk map of the province identified several areas of higher relative risk in both Northern and Southern Alberta. A number of significant environmental risk factors were associated with increased E. coli and total coliform contamination, including precipitation, sand, density of large animals, and soil hydraulic conductivity.  6 month

Escherichia coli contamination of rural well water in Alberta, Canada is associated with soil properties, density of livestock and precipitation

Waterborne outbreaks of infectious disease continue to be a public health risk, particularly those in areas where testing of private and public small system groundwater systems is left to the owners/overseers of these wells who may not recognize the importance of testing and treatment. Recognizing factors associated with contamination of wells is important for public safety and can encourage well owners/overseers to test regularly and properly maintain drinking water supplies. Tests results for presence/absence of total coliforms and Escherichia coli for private and public untreated well water for the years 2010-2012 (n=56,609) were provided by the Alberta Provincial Laboratory for Public Health. Tests were geolocated with the Alberta Township Survey System and aggregated to the quarter section. Agricultural independent variables were provided by the Canadian Agricultural Census and monthly cumulative precipitation was calculated using Alberta Agriculture and Forestry’s website of weather station data. Overall frequency of E. coli-positive wells in the study was 1.4%. A marginal multivariable logistic regression model was fit using generalized estimating equations to account for repeat testing of some quarter sections. Three significant factors associated with increased E. coli-positive untreated drinking water wells were identified: soil properties (KSat and sand content), animal density and monthly cumulative precipitation

Factors Associated with Antimicrobial Resistant Enterococci in North American Beef Cattle: A Scoping Review Protocol

Scoping Review ProtocolIntroduction: Enterococcus spp. is a commensal gram-positive bacterium routinely found in humans and bovines' intestinal tracts; however, it can lead to infection when found outside the intestinal tract.1 There is increasing difficulty in treating Enterococcal infections due to a rise in resistance, particularly multidrug resistance.2 The rise of antimicrobial resistance is a One Health problem resulting from antimicrobial use in human health, animal health, and the environment.3 This research focuses on the connection between animal and human health, and considers the epidemiology of antimicrobial resistance within the North American beef cattle production system. The research will identify factors associated with antimicrobial resistance in Enterococcus spp. from cow-calf operations up to but not including human beef consumption. This project is a component of the broader iAM.AMR initiative. Objectives: The primary objective is to identify what factors increase or decrease the prevalence of antimicrobial resistance in Enterococcus spp. within the North American Beef Cattle Industry, from cow-calf operations to the retail setting. The results will populate a component of an integrated assessment model as a component of the Integrated Assessment Model on Antimicrobial Resistance (iAM.AMR) project, built using Analytica software (Educational Professional license, Lumina) Methods: A double-blinded scoping review following PRISMA guidelines will examine five databases (MEDLINE, BIOSIS Previews, the Web of Science Science Citation Index and Emerging Sources Citation Index, Embase, and CAB Abstracts). The search will consider Enterococcus spp., Antimicrobials, Resistance, beef cattle, and search term variants. Articles identified will be screened at three primary stages: bibliography, title and abstract, and full text. The authors will exclude articles published before 1984 (Enterococcus spp. was designated a species in 1984), journals specific to a livestock species that is not beef cattle, and non-English articles. Articles that are solely In vitro, specific to fermented meat, opinion-based, or not applicable to the North American context will also be excluded. Articles will be included if there is an intervention identified and the AMR impact of the intervention measured. Article information will be charted in an excel spreadsheet. Following the charting process, authors will identify articles to be included in the iAM.AMR Collection of Epidemiologically Derived Associations with Resistance (CEDARS) database. These articles must have an extractable "factor" associated with AMR Enterococcus spp, presented as an odds ratio or prevalence comparison (in text or graph) specific to an "intervention" and "control." The study must use non-selective media and have the total (N) provided for the intervention and control. Relevant data will be collected and coded into an Access (V2103, Microsoft) database. Meta-analysis will occur if two articles examine the same factor and are comparable in the research design and study population.Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC)Othe

Data_Sheet_1_Factors associated with antimicrobial resistant enterococci in Canadian beef cattle: A scoping review.pdf

IntroductionAntimicrobial 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.MethodsFive 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.ResultsOut 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.DiscussionComparability 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]</p

Data_Sheet_2_Factors associated with antimicrobial resistant enterococci in Canadian beef cattle: A scoping review.xlsx

IntroductionAntimicrobial 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.MethodsFive 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.ResultsOut 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.DiscussionComparability 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]</p