Dry-fermented sausages are meat products highly valued by many consumers. Manufacturing process involves
fermentation driven by natural microbiota or intentionally added starter cultures and further drying. The most
relevant fermentative microbiota is lactic acid bacteria (LAB) such as Lactobacillus, Pediococcus and Enterococcus,
producing mainly lactate and contributing to product preservation. The great diversity of LAB in dry-fermented
sausages is linked to manufacturing practices. Indigenous starters development is considered to be a very
promising field, because it allows for high sanitary and sensorial quality of sausage production.
LAB have a long history of safe use in fermented food, however, since they are present in human gastrointestinal
tract, and are also intentionally added to the diet, concerns have been raised about the antimicrobial resistance in
these beneficial bacteria. In fact, the food chain has been recognized as one of the key routes of antimicrobial
resistance transmission fromanimal to human bacterial populations. TheWorld Health Organization 2014 report
on global surveillance of antimicrobial resistance reveals that this issue is no longer a future prediction, since
evidences establish a link between the antimicrobial drugs use in food-producing animals and the emergence
of resistance among common pathogens. This poses a risk to the treatment of nosocomial and communityacquired
infections. This review describes the possible sources and transmission routes of antibiotic resistant
LAB of dry-fermented sausages, presenting LAB antibiotic resistance profile and related genetic determinants.
Whenever LAB are used as starters in dry-fermented sausages processing, safety concerns regarding antimicrobial
resistance should be addressed since antibiotic resistant genes could be mobilized and transferred to
other bacteria.