Role of Veterinary Medicine in Public Health: Antibiotic Use in Food Animals and Humans and the Effect on Evolution of Antibacterial Resistance

Abstract

Veterinary public health is another frontier in the fight against human disease. The veterinary public health scope includes the control and eradication of zoonoses, diseases that are naturally transmitted between vertebrate animals and man. These diseases pose a continuous hazard to the health and welfare of the public. More than 100 diseases are categorized as zoonoses, including salmonellosis. It is important to understand how antibiotics are used in humans and in food animals and how these uses affect the evolution of antibacterial resistance. Appropriate use of antibiotics for food animals will preserve the long-term efficacy of existing antibiotics, support animal health and welfare, and limit the risk of transfer of antibiotic resistance to humans. An understanding of the epidemiology of antimicrobial resistance allows development of preventive strategies to limit existing resistance and to avoid emergence of new strains of resistant bacteria. Risk assessments are being used by the Center for Veterinary Medicine at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as regulatory tools to assess potential risk to humans resulting from antibiotic use in food-producing animals and to then develop microbial safety policies to protect the public health. The veterinary public health scope, in addition to the control and eradication of zoonoses, also includes the development and supervision of food hygiene practices, laboratory and research activities, and education of the public. Thus, it may be seen that there are many ways in which veterinary medicine plays a very important role in public health.

Understanding antimicrobial use and prescribing behaviours by pig veterinary surgeons and farmers: a qualitative study

“…This agrees with previous research from across the veterinary sector (Hughes and others 2012, 2013, Williams and others 2012). Farmers considered their vet to be the most trustworthy source of information on antimicrobials as is shown by previous research which confirmed the strong reliance that farmers place on vets for information (Lathers 2001, Ruegg 2006, Friedman and others 2007). Advertising by pharmaceutical companies was not considered to influence prescribing behaviour by either the vet or farmer focus groups.…”

Clonal relatedness and resistance patterns of Salmonella Corvallis from poultry carcasses in a Brazilian slaughterhouse

“…However, the emergence of extended-spectrum β-lactamase enzymes and decreased susceptibility to ciprofloxacin in Salmonella strains has drastically reduced the treatment options, which may lead to unfavorable outcomes [9,10]. In veterinary medicine, the use of antimicrobial drugs for therapeutic purposes and as growth promoters may stimulate the selection of antimicrobial-resistant Salmonella strains [11,12], causing a major public health concern.…”

<strong>Review on Usage of Vancomycin in Livestock and Humans: Maintaining its Efficacy, Prevention of Resistance and Alternative Therapy</strong>

“…Therefore, understanding the epidemiology of antibacterial resistance will enable us to develop preventive strategies to limit existing resistance and to avoid the emergence of new strains of resistant bacteria. [50,51]. use of antibiotics for food animals and development of guidelines, codes of practice and policies on appropriate use of antibiotics.…”