ATLANTA, Aug. 29 (UPI) -- Although multidrug resistance of bacteria like Salmonella has remained somewhat stable during the last decade, researchers remain concerned about the consistent resistance emerging among pathogens and are releasing as much information as possible about the bugs.
The National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System released its 2014 annual report on drug resistance among the most common food-borne infections, including with it for the first time an interactive map tracking the waning efficacy of drugs against the bacteria in each of the 50 states.
NARMS, a collaboration of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Food and Drug Administration and U.S. Department of Agriculture, as well as state and local agencies, tracks nationwide data on the bacteria.
The interactive map, called NARMS Now: Human Data, makes it easier for doctors and researchers to track antibiotic resistance among salmonella, shigella, campylobacter, E. coli O157 and vibrio species other than vibrio cholerae.
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The recently-released 2014 NARMS annual report includes whole genome sequencing data of bacteria from people who have had resistant strains of salmonella, which may help doctors select better, more effective treatments for the infection.
During the last decade, multidrug resistance to salmonella has stayed relatively stable, decreasing from 11 percent between 2004 and 2008 to 9 percent between 2009 and 2013. In 2014, resistance increased slightly from 9 percent to 9.3 percent, according to the new report.
Researchers found salmonella resistance to the drug ceftriaxone dropped one percentage point, from 3 percent to 2 percent, during the last decade, that resistance among certain types of salmonella has decreased even more during the last decade and no strains showed increased resistance to drugs considered important for treating infections.
That said, the researchers also report that decreased susceptibility to drugs among the included pathogens remains high and, in some cases, such as Salmonella Typhi, which causes typhoid fever, resistance continues to slowly increase.
"Bacterial foodborne infections are common and can sometimes be serious," CDC officials said in a press release. "Understanding trends in antibiotic resistance helps doctors to prescribe effective treatment and public health officials to investigate outbreaks faster."
