The ACMF is proud to share the results of the latest national survey of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in Australian meat chickens. Pleasingly, the report on this survey found that resistance to antimicrobials, and particularly to antimicrobials that are of critical importance to human health, remains low, consistent with the findings of the previous survey published in 2018. Importantly, there was an overall decrease in the prevalence of AMR in this study compared with the previous study.
Over the past few decades, the Australian chicken meat industry has participated in a number of properly designed, nationally representative surveys for antimicrobial resistance in bacteria in chickens and chicken meat products.
In particular, two large scale surveys have been completed in the past five years. The report on the first of these, undertaken in collaboration with the Australian Government’s Department of Agriculture and Water Resources with funding from the Animal Biosecurity and Response Reform Program, was published on the ACMF’s website in 2018. The survey represented the most comprehensive data set to that point on the level of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) found in bacteria in Australian meat chicken flocks.
The most recent survey was completed in 2022. It was funded by the Australian Government’s Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) and AgriFutures Australia. Lead researcher, Professor Sam Abraham from Murdoch University’s Antimicrobial Resistance and Infectious Diseases Laboratory, said that this was pioneering and exciting Australian research that used internationally recognised methods in AMR surveillance along with cutting edge robotics, mass spectrometry and genomics platforms.
The results of the previous survey have been published in a number of peer reviewed journal papers, and we look forward to seeing published papers from the 2022 report in the future.
The results of both surveys show that the Australian chicken meat industry is in an enviable position globally with low and improved levels of AMR and, importantly, low levels of resistance to antimicrobials that are priorities for use in human health.
By participating in surveys such as this, Australia’s chicken meat industry gains valuable feedback on the effectiveness of its antimicrobial stewardship efforts to reduce, refine and replace the use of antibiotics.
The ACMF would like to thank Australian Government’s Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) and AgriFutures Australia for funding this comprehensive and valuable piece of work, and to antimicrobial resistance and infectious diseases expert Professor Sam Abraham for driving it.
