Sources of Antimicrobial Resistance

Science – The relentless rise in levels of antimicrobial resistance is an unfolding global public health crisis (1). Resistance to frontline antimicrobials such as fluoroquinolones, third- and fourth-generation cephalosporins, and carbapenems is a particular concern, as is multidrug resistance. The antimicrobial resistance problem is not confined to human medicine: Comparable quantities of antimicrobials are used in livestock production, and resistance is rife in that setting, too, even on organic farms that restrict drug usage (2). Such observations have led to debate about whether antimicrobial resistance in farm animals is an important source of antimicrobial resistance in humans (3, 4). On page 1514 of this issue, Mather et al. (5) shed light on this important question in the context of Salmonella Typhimurium DT104 in humans and cattle in Scotland.

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New Warning of Human Impacts of Antibiotic Resistance from Poultry

The Poultry Site – In a letter to the journal, Emerging Infectious Diseases entitled ‘Human Deaths and Third-Generation Cephalosporin use in Poultry, Europe’, the experts say: “The number of avoidable deaths and the costs of health care potentially caused by third-generation cephalosporin use in food animals is staggering. Considering those factors, the ongoing use of these antimicrobial drugs in mass therapy and prophylaxis should be urgently examined and stopped, particularly in poultry, not only in Europe, but worldwide.”

Consumers More Interested in Antibiotic-Free Meat

SupermarketNews – Conventional supermarkets’ meat departments now typically have at least a limited selection of antibiotic-free meat products, a category that some natural food stores offer exclusively.
Jewel-Osco stores can opt to carry antibiotic-free ground beef, bison and grass-fed meat, said Karen May, external communications manager, who noted shoppers can also special order antibiotic-free products. “We recently added both High Plains

Awareness of Antibiotics

SupermarketNews – Awareness of the issue of antibiotics and growth hormones is high, with 79% of Midan respondents having heard of antibiotics’ use in meat production and 85% having heard about growth hormones. Forty-one percent of respondents said they were concerned about negative effects of antibiotics and 42% about the effects of growth hormones.

Meeting Challenge of Antibiotic Use

By Chris Harris
The Poultry Site – In general, in the more developed agricultural nations in the EU, such as the UK, Germany and the Netherlands, food is being produced with larger herds and flocks and by fewer farmers. Fewer producers are producing more and more of the food and in the UK, some estimates have 20 per cent of the producers producing 80 per cent of the meat, milk and eggs that are consumed.

However, the farming sector is having to face up to continued price volatility and the challenges of relationships within the supply chain. The food production sector is also changing to meet new global changing eating habits, such as those in India and China and, in Europe, reforms to economic policies are also having a significant impact on what people eat.

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Source and Photo: The Poultry Site, November 21st, 2012
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