Understanding policy dilemmas around antibiotic use in food animals & offering potential solutions

Abstract

The looming concern of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has prompted the government of many countries of the world to act upon and come up with the guidelines, comprehensive recommendations and policies concerning prudent use of antibiotics and containment of AMR. However, such initiatives from countries with high incidence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in food animals are still in infancy. This review highlights the existing global policies on antibiotics use in food animals along with details of the various Indian policies and guidelines. In India, in spite of availability of integrated policies for livestock, poultry and aquaculture sector, uniform regulations with coordinated initiative are needed to formulate strict policies regarding antimicrobial use both in humans and animals. In an attempt to create effective framework to tackle the AMR, the Indian Council of Medical Research initiated a series of dialogues with various stakeholders and suggested various action points for urgent implementation. This review summarizes the recommendations made during the various consultations. The overarching aim of this review is to clearly delineate the action points which need to be carried out urgently to regulate the antibiotic use in animals.

Antimicrobial Usage Factors and Resistance Profiles of Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli in Backyard Production Systems From Central Chile

“…Linked to this risk factor, our model detected statistically significant association of AM usage with the visit of a Veterinary Officer to BPS, establishing an increase in the probability of AM usage over 70 times, it is important to highlight that Veterinary Officers only visit BPS in the presence of an outbreak of some high impact pathogens (e.g., highly pathogenic avian influenza, PRRS) ( 14 , 15 ) and only return to BPS if sample results are positive to these pathogens, under this conditions, AM usage can be increased or explained due to BPS sanitary status, but should be following the guidelines and assistance of the Veterinary Officers. Model also detected significance to a 10.56 increase in the probability of AM usage when neighbors of a BPS also maintain hens or swine, the existence of animals in the vicinity plus low biosecurity measures increase the chance of pathogen transmission ( 11 , 109 ) due to free animal movements, leading to the potential use of AM ( 110 , 111 ), other potential explanation to this phenomena, could be related to BPS location within family groups, working under the existence of cooperation groups or by social/cultural influence of neighbors ( 112 , 113 ).…”

Antibiotics and Antibiotic Resistance Genes in Animal Manure – Consequences of Its Application in Agriculture

“…The current limitations on antimicrobial use in livestock are explained in the document “Council conclusions on the next steps under a One Health approach to combat AMR” (2016). In addition, a good review of the existing global policies on antibiotics use in livestock is provided by Walia et al (2019) .…”

Antimicrobial Resistance in Agri-Food Chain and Companion Animals as a Re-emerging Menace in Post-COVID Epoch: Low-and Middle-Income Countries Perspective and Mitigation Strategies

“…Many countries (Japan, the USA, Colombia, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Sweden) fixed national targets to reduce AMU in livestock. Nevertheless, any kind of regulatory endeavor is still at a primary stage in many of the LMICs (146); only a few could successfully implement such regulations or advisories given the prevailing socio-economic scenario, public administrative constraints, and absence of political commitment/goodwill in these countries. Therefore, emphasis on education, awareness, and training of all stakeholders, particularly the end users, might be more effective in LMICs (147).…”