The European ban on growth-promoting antibiotics and emerging consequences for human and animal health

Abstract

Following the ban of all food animal growth-promoting antibiotics by Sweden in 1986, the European Union banned avoparcin in 1997 and bacitracin, spiramycin, tylosin and virginiamycin in 1999. Three years later, the only attributable effect in humans has been a diminution in acquired resistance in enterococci isolated from human faecal carriers. There has been an increase in human infection from vancomycin-resistant enterococci in Europe, probably related to the increased in usage of vancomycin for the treatment of methicillin-resistant staphylococci. The ban of growth promoters has, however, revealed that these agents had important prophylactic activity and their withdrawal is now associated with a deterioration in animal health, including increased diarrhoea, weight loss and mortality due to Escherichia coli and Lawsonia intracellularis in early post-weaning pigs, and clostridial necrotic enteritis in broilers. A directly attributable effect of these infections is the increase in usage of therapeutic antibiotics in food animals, including that of tetracycline, aminoglycosides, trimethoprim/sulphonamide, macrolides and lincosamides, all of which are of direct importance in human medicine. The theoretical and political benefit of the widespread ban of growth promoters needs to be more carefully weighed against the increasingly apparent adverse consequences.

Effects of the prebiotics inulin and lactulose on intestinal immunology and hematology of preruminant calves

“…Thus, antimicrobial growth promoters have been banned in the European Union (EG 183/2003). This caused adverse effects on animal health and thus increased the use of therapeutic antibiotics (Casewell et al, 2003). Now, alternatives have to be found to stabilize gut health and to promote growth.…”

Probióticos na avicultura

“…Foi verifi cado aumento no uso de antibióticos da linha humana como terapêuticos, que também podem acarretar o surgimento de bactérias patogênicas resistentes (CASEWELL et al, 2003; -REVISÃO BIBLIOGRÁFICA -I Departamento de Medicina Veterinária, Setor de Ciências Agrárias, Universidade Federal do Paraná (UFPR), 80035-050, Curitiba, PR, Brasil. E-mail: leandronkmv@gmail.com.…”

“…Segundo CASTANON (2007), os mercados exportadores tiveram de se adaptar à legislação da União Europeia para continuar exportando para estes países. O Brasil, como maior exportador de carne de frango do mundo (UBA, 2013) e tendo a União Europeia como importante mercado (em 2012 foi o destino de 8,2% das exportações brasileiras), também teve de se adaptar a essas medidas.…”

Transmission of F4+ E. coli in groups of early weaned piglets

“…At the moment there are no effective vaccines available [3,4] and it is feared that the present more restrictive use of antimicrobial growth promoters in the European Union and a complete ban of these growth promoters by 2006 will lead to an increase in diarrhoea incidence after weaning [5]. Therefore, other measures have to be investigated that either prevent clinical symptoms by directly interfering on the individual level or by preventing transmission of the bacterium between piglets.…”