Antibiotic resistance is a major public health concern around the world. Infections that were once easily treated with antibiotics* are becoming more difficult to treat and more expensive. Infections caused by common antibiotic-resistant bacteria, such as Salmonella, can have more serious health consequences than infections caused by bacteria that are not antibiotic-resistant.

What is the definition of antibiotic resistance?

Antibiotic resistance occurs when bacteria (germs) are able to live or proliferate despite being treated with an antibiotic that would normally kill them.

How antibiotic resistance happen?

What impact does antibiotic use in food animals have on humans?

Food animals can carry bacteria that can make people sick, such as Salmonella and Campylobacter. When animals are administered antibiotics, resistant bacteria can live and develop in their intestines.

What are some possible routes for these germs to enter the food supply?

Food animals carry resistant germs that can sneak into a range of meals. When animals are slaughtered and processed, meat and poultry can get contaminated. When resistant bacteria from animal feces (poop) spreads through the environment, such as through irrigation water or fertilizers, fruits and vegetable can get polluted.

Why is it critical to use antibiotics in food animals responsibly?

To help avoid the creation, persistence, and spread of resistant bacteria, antibiotics must be used properly in both humans and animals. Antibiotics are effective tools for decreasing animal sickness and suffering from bacterial infections, but decisions on which antibiotics to use in food animals and how to use them must take human health and the environment into account.

Antibiotic Use in Animals: Key Principles

Importantly, veterinarians are the only ones who can prescribe antibiotics for animals. A veterinarian will not administer an antibiotic if it is not necessary, just as people should not expect an antibiotic to cure a cold. When antibiotics are prescribed, it is critical that the instructions are followed exactly as recommended by the veterinary surgeon. In practice, this entails administering the correct antibiotic dose to the animal for the duration of the treatment. Antibiotics must only be given to the animal(s) on the prescription because each prescription is intended to be filled in its entirety.

These safeguards ensure that animals receive the right amount of antibiotic for the right period of time to suppress or kill the microorganisms that cause infection or disease. Reducing the length of treatment or the dose provided can have an impact.

In conclusion it is vital to continue to regulate every aspect in antibiotic use in food animals with the simple fact that it affects humans directly. Increasing the regulations and make them more severe is going to be crucial to prevent any kind of health issue as antibiotic resistance. Monitoring techniques, increasing the quality in the antibiotics on the market are some of the principal measurements that we can do to increase our health safety.