Recent surveillance data show that resistance to commonly used antimicrobials such as ampicillin, tetracyclines and sulphonamides remains high in both humans and animals against important pathogens such as Salmonella and Campylobacter. Resistance in E. coli is also frequently observed in animals, but resistance in Salmonella in laying hens is low. These are the main findings of a report published today by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).

According to Carlos Das Neves , EFSA's chief scientist, and Piotr Kramarz , ECDC's chief scientist, "a global One-Health approach is essential to combat antibiotic resistance. Robust surveillance systems, prudent use of antimicrobials and cross-sector collaboration are crucial to mitigate the risk of antibiotic-resistant bacteria that can spread between animals and humans".

High levels of resistance to ciprofloxacin, a critically important fluoroquinolone antimicrobial for the treatment of Salmonella and Campylobacter infections, are a growing concern. Ciprofloxacin resistance was found to be increasing in Salmonella Enteritidis and Campylobacter jejuni from human samples in more than half of the European countries providing data. High to extremely high rates of ciprofloxacin resistance were observed in Campylobacter from food-producing animals and in Salmonella and E. coli specifically from poultry. These trends are of particular concern as the World Health Organization list of harmful bacteria for 2024 lists fluoroquinolone-resistant non-typhoidal Salmonella (the Salmonella serotypes that do not cause typhoid fever) as a high priority.

In contrast, resistance to other antimicrobials of critical importance in human medicine remains sporadic for Salmonella and Campylobacter, both in humans and in food-producing animals.

Although carbapenem resistance remains rare, the occasional detection of carbapenem-resistant E. coli in food and animals requires strong vigilance and further epidemiological investigations. This is particularly important because carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales bacteria are classified as a serious threat to public health. To support the measures in place, EFSA will publish in 2025 the first of a series of opinions on the current status of the presence and spread of carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales bacteria in the food chain in the European Union/European Economic Area and Switzerland.

However, positive trends are also observed with data showing significant progress in reducing resistance levels in several reporting countries. Almost half of the European countries submitting data reported a decrease in Campylobacter resistance to macrolide antibiotics in both C. jejuni and E. coli in human cases. Furthermore, resistance of Salmonella Typhimurium isolates from humans to penicillins and tetracyclines has decreased over time. Strong increasing trends in the key outcome indicator for full susceptibility of E. coli as well as strong decreasing trends in the key outcome indicator for prevalence of Esbl/AmpC producing E. coli show that encouraging progress has been made in reducing antimicrobial resistance in food-producing animals in several EU Member States over the past 10 years.

Despite these advances, antimicrobial resistance remains a serious threat to public health and requires coordinated action based on a One-Health approach. Among the most important measures are the promotion of responsible use of antimicrobials, the improvement of infection prevention and control, investments in research for new treatments and the implementation of strong national policies to effectively combat the phenomenon of resistance.

EFSA and ECDC publish a plain language summary, a simplified version of the EU summary report on antimicrobial resistance in zoonotic and indicator bacteria from humans, animals and food in 2022-2023, as well as several interactive tools for related communication activities.

An interactive data visualisation page on the EFSA website shows levels of resistance in humans, animals and food, country by country, in 2022 and 2023. As in previous years, data on food- and water-borne antibiotic resistance are published in the ECDC Infectious Disease Surveillance Atlas (for the diseases campylobacteriosis, salmonellosis and shigellosis, respectively).

Attached to this EFA News is the full report by EFSA and ECDC on antibiotic resistance.