60% of healthy people infected with antibiotic-resistant bacteria

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This is the foreseeable consequence of the indiscriminate use of antibiotics in farming and daily life in Vietnam.

According to Bui Thi Mai Huong of the Department of Food Microbiology & Molecular Biology under the Institute of Nutrition, the initial results from SATREPS project show that the situation of antibiotic-resistant bacteria found in food in Vietnam is alarming.

Over 60% of healthy people and about 50% of food from livestock and aquatic products in Vietnam were found infected with antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

In details, over 60% of healthy people and about 50% of food from livestock and aquatic products in Vietnam were detected infected with antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The same situation was also found in many other Southeast Asian countries and a timely preventive solution is needed.

Earlier, on assessing the level of E. coli-contamination, which can cause serious food poisoning, researchers collected 330 food samples from markets, supermarkets and slaughterhouses in Ho Chi Minh City.

When tested, the Extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-positive E. Coli (ESBL E.Coli) was found in 150 out of the 330 samples (approximately 45.5%). ESBL E. Coli was found particularly high in pork (34.8%), beef (34.4%) and shrimp/fish (29.3%).

Alarmingly, 100% of the chicken samples collected from slaughterhouses were found positive with ESBL E.coli.