[Animals] Use of antibiotics in animals is decreasing

[Love Pulse]

 

Says the latest report published by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), European Medicines Agency (EMA) and European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).

Following the One Health approach, the report from the three EU agencies presents data on antibiotic consumption and the development of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in Europe for the period 2016-2018.

 

The significant reduction in the use of antibiotics in food-producing animals indicates that measures taken at the country level to reduce use have proven effective. Use of a class of antibiotics called polymyxins, which includes colistin, nearly halved between 2016 and 2018 in food-producing animals. This is a positive development, as polymyxins are also used in hospitals to treat patients infected with multidrug-resistant bacteria.

 

The picture in the European Union is diverse - the situation varies greatly depending on the country and class of antibiotics. For example, aminopenicillins and third- and fourth-generation cephalosporins and quinolones (fluoroquinolones and other quinolones) are used more in humans than in food-producing animals, while polymyxin (colistin) and tetracyclines are used in more food-producing animals than in humans. .

 

The link between antibiotic use and bacterial resistance

The report demonstrates that the use of carbapenems and third and fourth generation cephalosporins and quinolones in humans is associated with resistance to these antibiotics in Escherichia coli infection in humans. Similar associations have been found for food-producing animals.

 

The report also identifies links between consumption of antimicrobials in animals and antibiotic-resistant antimicrobials in bacteria from food-producing animals, which in turn correlate with antimicrobial resistance in bacteria from humans. An example is Campylobacter spp. Bacteria that are found in food-producing animals and cause foodborne infections in humans. Experts have found a link between the resistance of these bacteria in animals and the resistance of the same bacteria in humans.

Fighting antimicrobial resistance through cooperation

 

Antimicrobial resistance is a global public health problem that presents a serious economic burden. The One Health approach implemented through a collaboration between the European Financial Supervisory Authority, the European Medicines Agency and the European Center for Disease Prevention and Prevention, and the findings presented in this report call for continued efforts to address antimicrobial resistance at the national, EU, and global levels across care sectors. health