Antimicrobial-resistant Bacteria Arising from the Use of Colistin Sulfate in the Livestock (Antimicrobial-resistant Bacteria).

The Food Safety Commission of Japan (FSCJ) conducted a risk assessment on antimicrobial-resistant bacteria arising from the use of colistin sulfate, which is used as a feed additive and veterinary medicinal products in the livestock. Both Salmonella and E. coli were considered as potential antimicrobial-resistant bacteria to be selected under the use of colistin sulfate in the livestock. As only limited reports were available on the colistin-resistance in Salmonella, FSCJ conducted a risk assessment focusing on E. coli as a hazard, on which the information was rather available. In the release assessment, the degree of possible selection of the hazard was evaluated as "Medium". Considering proper cooking of the livestock products, the degree of possible human exposure to the resistant bacteria via livestock products was evaluated as "Low". The degree of possible reduction or loss of clinical effectiveness was evaluated as "High" considering the current situation of colistin use in human medicine. From the above, the overall estimation of the risk was "Medium". ©2017 Food Safety Commission, Cabinet Office, Government of Japan.