Microbes are very small living things not visible with the naked eyes. They include bacteria, viruses, parasites, fungi and molds.
Some of these microbes are good and useful. Consider the bacteria in animal digestive systems that help them absorb food. Another is the bacteria in the soil that help plants take up nitrogen.
Others, however, are bad and can cause diseases in human beings, animals (including fish) and plants. The disease they cause are called infectious disease like tuberculosis, rabies, and ringworm. A person can get infected by touching, eating, drinking or breathing something that contains these bad microbes.
Drugs that can fight these bad microbes are called antimicrobials and antibiotic is one fine example. Some antimicrobials kill the microbes while there are those that stop the microbes to grow and spread further.
Antimicrobials are not used only for human beings. “Antimicrobial medicines are also widely used in livestock, poultry and aquaculture operations to treat or prevent diseases,” the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) says.
Unfortunately, the over-use and misuse of antimicrobial medicines for human and animal health, including routine use of growth promoters, drives the emergence and spread of disease-causing pathogens that are resistant to antibiotics and increasingly difficult to treat.
Recent studies showed that an estimated 700,000 people die each year from antimicrobial resistant (AMR) infections and an untold number of sick animals may not be responding to treatment. “AMR is a significant global threat to public health, food safety and security, as well as to livelihoods, animal production and economic and agricultural development,” FAO points out.
Any use of antimicrobials can result in the development of AMR. “The more antimicrobials are used, the more likely microorganisms will develop resistance, and the misuse and excessive use of antimicrobials speeds up this process,” FAO explains.
Examples of misuse include using an incorrect dose or administering an antimicrobial at the wrong frequency or for an insufficient or excessive duration.
“So many microbes today have adapted and become stronger that the illness they are causing have become extremely difficult, if not impossible, to treat,” said one news report recently.
“AMR is associated with increased mortality, prolonged illnesses in people and animals, production losses in agriculture, livestock and aquaculture,” FAO says. “This threatens global health, livelihoods and food security.”
The intensification of agricultural production in recent years has led to a rising use of antimicrobials – a use that is expected to more than double by 2030.
“Estimates of antibiotic consumption in global agricultural vary, due to poor surveillance and data collection in many countries, ranging from around 63,000 tons per year to over 240,000 tons per year,” reads the FAO report.
In comparison, the annual amount of antibiotics used for crops is relatively low; estimates range from 0.2% to 0.4% of total agricultural antibiotic consumption, according to the FAO report.
In 2010, total consumption of antimicrobials in the livestock sector was 63,151 tons. Global use will increase by 67% by 2030 to 105,596 tons. Intensive swine and cattle production are the most important users and poultry and fish are apparently minor users (less than 10% each of total use).
The FAO report added that 70% to 80% of antibiotics given to fish are excreted into water and spread rapidly through water systems. “Environments polluted with waste from antibiotic manufacturing could be important reservoir of antibiotic resistance,” it further said.
Now, what does AMR mean for food safety? “Good hygiene practices in agriculture, food production, processing and distribution, are required to maintain food safety and to minimize the transmission of AMR through the food chain to people,” FAO explains.
“If antibiotics are not used appropriately, antimicrobial residues in food can also pose health hazards to consumers. AMR microorganisms in our agricultural production systems and food chain are not only a major public health challenge, but they also represent a potential threat to trade and the global economy,” FAO adds.
The FAO report presents five challenges in the fight against AMR in food and agriculture. These are:
- Implementing more sustainable agricultural practices that prioritize infection prevention for healthier animals and crops and a reduced need for antimicrobials. “We need your help to encourage awareness and access to necessary resources to help reduce antimicrobial use in food and agriculture and to promote the responsible use of antimicrobials when they are truly needed,” FAO urges.
- Regulations and oversight do not exist in all countries to ensure responsible use of antimicrobials in animal and crop production. This is a problem because the use of poor quality and falsified antimicrobial products – or using the wrong antimicrobials to treat particular causes of diseases – can accelerate resistance development.
- AMR organisms and antimicrobial residues are present in wastes from agricultural production, pharmaceutical manufacturing and human sewage. Inadequate treatment and improper disposal of wastes can spread antimicrobial residues and AMR microbes through the environment in soils and in waterways.
- There are considerable knowledge gaps regarding the magnitude of antimicrobial use and resistance in many parts of the world. To develop effective control strategies, there needs to be greater investment in global surveillance and research to measure progress towards AMR mitigation.
- Changes in antimicrobial use in agriculture alone will not be enough to combat AMR. Everyone and all sectors have a role to play in combating AMR and this includes changes in practices in human health.
