Antimicrobial Resistance at Two United States Cull Cow Processing Establishments

What is it about?

Culled cows contribute about 18% of the cattle harvested in the U.S. each year. Carcass samples and feces were obtained from culled beef cows (conventional beef), culled dairy cows (conventional dairy), and culled organic dairy cows produced without using antibiotics (organic dairy) from two beef harvest and processing plants. At one plant, meat trimmings for ground beef also were sampled. Results indicate a few antibiotic resistance levels were higher in feces from conventional cows compared to organic cows. However, sample day had similar impacts on antibiotic resistance levels indicating that antibiotic use had only marginal impacts on antibiotic resistance levels. The impact of these differences on human exposures to antibiotic resistance through beef remain unknown since standards for normal, background, safe, or basal antibiotic resistance levels do not exist.

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