Approximately 42% (187/444) of swine enterococci collected between the years 1999 and 2000 exhibited high-level resistance to gentamicin (MIC [ges ]500 μg/ml), kanamycin (MIC [ges ]500 μg/ml), or streptomycin (MIC [ges ]1000 μg/ml). Eight aminoglycoside resistance genes were detected using PCR, most frequently ant(6)-Ia and aac(6′)-Ii from Enterococcus faecium. Twenty-four per cent (45/187) of total high-level aminoglycoside-resistant isolates and 26% (4/15) of isolates resistant to high levels of all three antimicrobials were negative for all genes tested. These data suggest that enterococci isolated from swine contain diverse and possibly unidentified aminoglycoside resistance genes.

In 2003, 14 cases of multidrug-resistant Salmonella Newport infections were reported. This is the first documented foodborne outbreak of multidrug-resistant S. Newport in France. The blaCMY gene was present in all isolates. All cases reported having eaten horse meat from a common wholesaler. The country of origin of the imported meat could not be identified.

We observed an outbreak of Q fever in a prison population. Overall, 65 of the 600 prison inmates developed the disease. The location of the prison cells had no apparent effect on the risk of infection. The outbreak was probably due to exposure to dust contaminated by a passing flock of sheep, which at the time of the outbreak was engaged in lambing. These findings highlight the possible emergence of Q fever in settings and populations not normally thought of as being at risk of exposure to the infection.