Introduction:

The problem around antibiotic resistance is intensified by the presence of resistant pathogens in foods of animal origin.

Objective:

Present the state of the prevalence of antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARB) and the main antibiotic resistance genes (AGRs) that are reported in foods of animal origin and in animals intended for human consumption.

Materials and methods:

A systematic review was carried out based on the PRISMA guide, from the Science Direct, Redalyc, Scopus, Hinari, Scielo, Dialnet, PLOS, ProQuest, Taylor, Lilacs and PubMed/Medline databases with original studies carried out between January 2017 and April of 2023.

Results:

A total of 2620 studies were identified, and 71 studies met the inclusion criteria. Beef, raw milk/unpasteurized dairy products, and farm animal feces were the most studied samples. The most common resistant bacteria were extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Escherichia coli,Salmonella spp. multidrug resistant (MDR) and methicillin resistant Stahylococcus aureus (MRSA). The AGRs most reported were bla, tet and sul, mediated mainly through plasmids and integrons.

Conclusions:

In this systematic review it was found that the isolates of E. coli, Salmonella spp. And S. aureus are the ones that most frequently presented resistance to tetracycline ampicillin and sulfamethoxazole/ trimethoprim with a predominance of the bla, tet and sul genes, which are being disseminated by mobile genetic elements between bacteria and humans through zoonotic clones with high stability over time.