Cross-sectional studycited by the Tayebat archiveabstract only checked★ key study A-CHK-02 in-depth review

Same resistance genes in Dutch chicken and patients

Dutch patients, retail chicken meat and poultry share the same ESBL genes, plasmids and strains.

Overview

Leverstein-van Hall MA et al.. Clin Microbiol Infect 2011 · PMID 21463397 · DOI 10.1111/j.1469-0691.2011.03497.x

Most retail chicken had ESBL bacteria, and many human isolates shared the same genes and plasmids.

Does the study support the specific claim? Yes · Methodological quality: high

Study explained simply

What did the researchers want to find out?: What proportion of human clinical ESBL E. coli carry poultry-associated genes, plasmids and strains?
How was the study done?: Molecular epidemiological study comparing ESBL genes, plasmids and strains from poultry, retail chicken and human clinical isolates
How many people, animals or samples were studied?: 98 retail chicken samples; 516 human clinical samples; Retail chicken, poultry, human clinical samples from 31 labs
What was actually found?: 94% of retail meat samples contained ESBL producers; 39% of these belonged to E. coli genotypes also present in human samples. 35% of human isolates contained poultry-associated ESBL genes; 19% had PA genes on IncI1 plasmids indistinguishable from poultry.
How large was the observed effect?: Descriptive proportions; microarray, pMLST, MLST
What do the results mean in everyday life?: Resistance genes can move from poultry to people.
What are the study's limitations?: Cross-sectional; direction of transmission inferred; 2009 data
What does it say about Elawady's specific claim?: Supports the claim.
Do the results apply to Germany and Europe?: High (EU country).
What can explicitly not be concluded from this study?: Cannot say how many human infections come from chicken.

Authors: Leverstein-van Hall MA, Dierikx CM, Cohen Stuart J, Voets GM, van den Munckhof MP, van Essen-Zandbergen A, Platteel T, Fluit AC, van de Sande-Bruinsma N, Scharinga J, Bonten MJ, Mevius DJ, National ESBL surveillance group
Journal: Clin Microbiol Infect
Year: 2011
Identifier: PMID 21463397 DOI 10.1111/j.1469-0691.2011.03497.x
Verification: verified – PubMed E-utilities efetch, 2026-10-25
Retracted: no
Corrections: none
Extent checked: abstract only
Conflicts of interest and funding: No COI statement in record

What proportion of human clinical ESBL E. coli carry poultry-associated genes, plasmids and strains?

Study design: Cross-sectional study – Molecular epidemiological study comparing ESBL genes, plasmids and strains from poultry, retail chicken and human clinical isolates
Population: Retail chicken, poultry, human clinical samples from 31 labs
Country: Netherlands
Period: 3 months in 2009
Sample size: 98 retail chicken samples; 516 human clinical samples
Inclusion and exclusion criteria: Representative clinical sample

Results: 94% of retail meat samples contained ESBL producers; 39% of these belonged to E. coli genotypes also present in human samples. 35% of human isolates contained poultry-associated ESBL genes; 19% had PA genes on IncI1 plasmids indistinguishable from poultry.
Absolute risks: not applicable
Authors' conclusion: Suggestive of transmission of ESBL genes, plasmids and isolates from poultry to humans, most likely via the food chain.

Shared genes/plasmids indicate overlap; the share of human infections actually acquired from chicken is not quantified.

Proportion of human infections from food remains uncertain.

High (EU country).

Key study; correctly used with slight overstatement.

Multidimensional assessment
Multidimensional assessment
Authenticity of the source	verified
Methodological quality	high
Risk of bias	some concerns
Precision of results	moderate
Directness	direct
Reproducibility	partly replicated
Consistency with the overall evidence	mixed
Regional transferability	high
Adequacy of the interpretation (by the archive)	essentially correct but incomplete

Quantitative attribution.

Note: according to the archive, the studies were compiled by the archive operators. Whether Dr. Elawady himself cited this study is not established.

What the archive says about the study: 94% of Dutch retail chicken carried ESBL-producing E. coli, with 39% of strains genetically identical to those in human clinical isolates.
A. What was actually studied?: ESBL overlap between chicken and patients.
B. What did the authors find?: 94% and 39% as stated; 19% of human isolates with poultry-type plasmids.
C. What conclusions do the authors themselves draw?: Suggestive of food-chain transmission.
D. What does the archive derive from it?: Used as evidence of transmission.
E. Is this derivation scientifically justified?: Essentially correct; the English narrative says 39% "genetically indistinguishable from bacteria isolated from human blood cultures", while the abstract says genotypes "also present in human samples"; authors say "suggestive".
Adequacy of the interpretation (by the archive): essentially correct but incomplete