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Agricultural antibiotic misuse may reduce efficacy of pediatric medicine
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Unnecessary overuse and misuse of antibiotics in animal feed designed to promote growth and increase feed efficiency has the potential to reduce the effectiveness of antibiotics in children and pose a serious threat to global public health, according to a technical report released by the AAP’s Council on Environmental Health and Committee on Infectious Diseases.
“The use of antimicrobial agents in agriculture can harm public health, including child health, through the promotion of resistance,” Jerome A. Paulson, MD, FAAP, professor of pediatrics at George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, and colleagues wrote. “Because of the link between antibiotic use in food-producing animals and the occurrence of antibiotic-resistant infections in humans, antibiotic agents should be used in food-producing animals only to treat and control infectious diseases and not to promote growth or to prevent disease routinely.”
Paulson and colleagues wrote that in 2012 animal antimicrobials represented 32.2 million pounds of all antibiotic drug active ingredients, compared with 7.25 million pounds used in products for human use. Sixty percent of the antibiotic drugs sold for use in animals are important in human medicine, the researchers wrote. They also said the vast majority of antibiotics used in animals do not require a prescription, with 97% having an over-the-counter FDA dispensing status.
The report went on to detail specific areas of child health that could be affected by antibiotic resistance as a result of antibiotic use in animal food products. They include Salmonella infections, with 3% of cases resistant to first-line Rocephin (ceftriaxone, Hoffmann La Roche); and Campylobacter infections, with resistance growing from 13% in 1997 to 25% in 2011. The researchers also listed Staphylococcus aureus infections and Escherichia coli infections as infections associated with antibiotic use in food animals.
“[WHO], in its recent report on antimicrobial resistance, outlined a global plan that includes integrated surveillance of food-producing animals and the food chain,” Paulson and colleagues wrote. “Congress is also pursuing a path to curb antibiotic use in animals.” – by David Costill
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
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