Prevalence of Escherichia coli and Antibiotic Resistance in Animal-Derived Food Samples - Six Districts, Beijing, China, 2020.

WHAT IS ALREADY KNOWN ABOUT THIS TOPIC?: Escherichia coli is an important hygiene indicator for animal-derived foods such as pork and chicken, and the contamination of retail meat is associated with the spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and public health.

WHAT IS ADDED BY THIS REPORT?: The prevalence of E. coli in 6 different districts of Beijing was 64.1%. The contamination of chicken was more serious than pork in Beijing. E. coli isolates were highly resistant to sulfonamides (87.4%). TheampC1 and ampC2 genes were the main antibiotic resistance genotype (94.7% and 99.4%).

WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS FOR PUBLIC HEALTH PRACTICE?: This study highlights the need to strengthen the surveillance of antibiotic resistance of E. coli in animal-derived foods. A national or regional multicenter study is required to assess the dissemination and evolution of multidrug resistant (MDR) E. coli in clinical medicine and animal production for food.