Wytwarzanie beta-laktamaz o rozszerzonym spektrum substratowym (ESBL) przez bakterie występujące w żywności

Extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBL) have recently been among the most frequent causes of antimicrobial resistance in bacterial strains from the family Enterobacteriaceae. Especially dangerous features of these enzymes are their diversity and ability to spread with plasmids among strains of the same bacterial species or between different species. ESBL-producing strains, found in the past mainly in nosocomial infections, now often cause community-acquired infections. The strains producing ESBL are also widespread among animals, which constitute reservoirs of these microbes and sources of infection in humans. An important path for transmission of these infections are most probably meat and meat products. This paper presents the current state of knowledge concerning the transmission of ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae from animals to humans via animal meat and meat products.