Salmonella and Antibiotic Resistance: An Ecological Success Story.

Salmonella was first described in 1885 as a secondary pathogen in the infectious disease process.  In 1929, a paper published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society of Medicine reported that Salmonella organisms were predominant in food borne outbreaks but acknowledged that the path of infection was unknown.  Over 125 years later, and publication of tens of thousands of papers, Salmonella continues to as the first or second most important food borne pathogen affecting humans and factors affecting its continued persistence and transmission continue to elude us.  Throughout this period of time we also introduced antimicrobials for use in both human and animal medicine and the development of antimicrobial resistance has become a global problem.  Although contraindicated for gastroenteritis, when required, particularly by the young, elderly or immunocompromised, antimicrobials can prove lifesaving. As with most bacteria, Salmonella has developed resistance to antimicrobials, although acquisition of resistance between and within serotypes is uneven.  Salmonella has been recovered from nearly all mammals as well as abiotic sources; it persists in both moist and dry environments and is easily recovered following desiccation.   It is recovered throughout the food animal production continuum and antimicrobial resistant strains persist in the absence of use.  Over a century later and despite significant research efforts Salmonella persists as a major food borne disease.  What can we do to change this?  This talk will explore the success of Salmonella survival over time, the role of antimicrobials in animal agriculture and resistance in Salmonella, and environmental events and niches that may be ideal for its continued persistence.