Dangerous practice

Steps must be taken to reduce the indiscriminate use of antimicrobials in animals for growth promotion.

That’s according to Dr. Margarita Corrales, Food Safety Coordinator and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) Focal Point (Food) with the Pan American Centre for Foot-and-Mouth Disease Veterinary Public Health (PANAFTOSA). She made the point while speaking on the topic AMR Integrated Surveillance along the Farm-to-Fork Continuum, as part of a virtual event held recently to commemorate World Antimicrobial Awareness Week.

She explained that there are some antimicrobials that are used in humans  and animals. She stated that in the case of animals, they have been used not only to treat diseases but as growth promoters, and this practice has exacerbated the resistant bacteria in animals, which is in turn transmitted to humans. Her comments came as she noted that AMR will surpass other diseases, including cancers, cholera and diabetes, and be the number one health problem by 2050. Dr. Corrales said that this is why efforts should be made to monitor and reduce the number of these critical antimicrobials that are utilised in animal production.

Referring to the third annual report of the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) on antimicrobials’ use in animal production, she said that 29 per cent of the 155 countries that were surveyed used antimicrobials as growth promoters and not to treat diseases. She added that in terms of those countries, most of them lack the appropriate legislation on the use of antimicrobials as growth promoters. Moreover, she added that a significant number of those countries which use antimicrobials to treat diseases also lack the legislation that speaks to the use of antimicrobials as growth promoters.

“It is important if a country stops using antimicrobials as growth promoters that there is a legislative framework to support it and to enforce it at the country level,” she said.

She also spoke of efforts to prohibit the use of the antibiotic colistin for preventing diseases and as a growth promoter, indicating that some countries in the Americas have made progress on that front, but there is still work to be done. Additionally, she said there is not information available for all the countries and this needs to be addressed if there are to be improvements made in addressing AMR.