Researchers in Alberta have found an enzyme and the gene that triggers its production in water bowls on beef farms in Alberta and Saskatchewan.
The enzynme renders key antibiotics ineffective.
The EstT enzyme can neuter drugs such as tylosin (Tylan) which many feedlots add to rations hoping to prevent liver abcesses.
Tony Ruzzini, assistant professor at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan, said the enzyme can also affect tilmicosin, or Micotil, which are used to control shipping fever.
EstT can also affect tildipirosin, also sold as Zuprevo.
He said it may also be neutering antibiotics used for other livestock, such as pigs and poultry.
Although thousands of antimicrobial resistance genes and resistance-conferring mutations are known, the catalogue is incomplete, said the research team’s scientific paper.
“Blind spots — novel and unreported (antimicrobial resistance genes) — pose unknown risks to human health, animal wellness, and the sustainability of agriculture.”
This EstT gene sits next door to the EstX gene that was previously found to be an antimicrobial gene.
