Prevalence of antibiotic-resistant in retail chicken: E. coli

Retail poultry products are known sources of antibiotic-resistant Escherichia , a major human health concern. Consumers have a range of choices for coli poultry, including conventional, organic, kosher, and raised without antibiotics (RWA)-designations that are perceived to indicate differences in quality and safety. However, whether these categories vary in the frequency of contamination with antibiotic-resistant is unknown. We examined the E. coli occurrence of antibiotic-resistant on raw chicken marketed as E. coli conventional, organic, kosher and RWA. From April – June 2012, we purchased 213 samples of raw chicken from 15 locations in the New York City metropolitan area. We screened isolates from each sample for E. coli resistance to 12 common antibiotics. Although the organic and RWA labels restrict the use of antibiotics, the frequency of antibiotic-resistant tended E. coli to be only slightly lower for RWA, and organic chicken was statistically indistinguishable from conventional products that have no restrictions. Kosher chicken had the highest frequency of antibiotic-resistant , nearly twice E. coli that of conventional products, a result that belies the historical roots of kosher as a means to ensure food safety. These results indicate that production methods influence the frequency of antibiotic-resistant on poultry E. coli products available to consumers. Future research to identify the specific practices that cause the high frequency of antibiotic-resistant in kosher E. coli chicken could promote efforts to reduce consumer exposure to this potential pathogen. 1 2 2 1 3