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The BfR researches the mechanisms and factors that contribute to the transfer of resistant bacteria from animals to
humans via food.
In the context of EU-wide monitoring, the BfR and the
EU Reference Laboratory for Antimicrobial Resistance
developed and validated an improved method for detect-
ing carbapenem-resistant bacteria in livestock and in
meat in 2014. The testing institutions of the federal states
implemented the method in 2015 within the scope of
zoonosis monitoring. The method was also used in 2014
for the clarification of an outbreak of illness in a hospital
in Hesse, Germany. In this case, food was determined as
the vehicle for the transfer of germs of various bacterial
species. These germs carried a resistance gene for the
formation of the carbapenemase KPC-2 enzyme.
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One focal point of the BfR's
research is investigating the
distribution of resistance to
carbapenems.
Food Safety
