Dietary Factors of bla NDM Carriage in Health Community Population: A Cross-Sectional Study

Aim: There is an ongoing debate as to what extent antimicrobial resistance (AMR) can be transmitted from dietary to humans via the consumption of food products. We investigated this association between dietary and global spreading carbapenem-resistant gene bla NDM Methods: We did a cross-sectional study to assess the risk factors for carrier of bla NDM in health community. Healthy adults were recruited from the residents attending Community Healthcare Service in Shenzhen City (Guangdong Province, China), through 1February 2018 to 31December 2019, and 718 pre-participants were included in this study. Questionnaire were obtained and the qualitative food frequency questionnaire (Q-FFQ) were used to assess dietary intake. qPCR was applied to confirm the carrier of bla NDM in participants’fecal samples. Multivariable logistic regression was used to estimate the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) of each outcome according to each dietary factor before and after prosperity score matching (PSM). Results: we showed that a high intake of coarse grain (OR 1.003; 95% CI 1.001–1.005, p < 0.01) and root and tuber crops (OR 1.003; 95% CI 1.001–1.004, p < 0.05) were independent risk factor for bla NDM carrier in health communities, suggesting a possible transfer of AMRbetweendietary andhumans. Surprisingly, we also showed an association between a higher intake of poultry as a protective, which may be explained by the beneficial effects on the gut microbiota. Conclusion: Dietary factors such as intake of coarse grain, root and tuber crops and poultry were associated with bla NDM carrier in health communities. The influence of dietary factorson bla NDM carrier in the present study provides insights for the tangible dietary advice with guidelines to the routine of people with the risk of bla NDM carrier. This demonstrates the role of dietary intake in the prevention of bla NDM carrier, since prevention is the best way to control modifiable risk factors. A lower carrier rate of bla NDM is helpful to reduce the possibility of transmission and pathogenicity. Further studies on food, microbiota and antimicrobial resistance are necessary to confirm this possible association and unravel underlying mechanisms.