A US View on Antimicrobial Stewardship in Animal Agriculture

Opinion statement Antimicrobial resistance was declared a serious threat to global public health by the World Health Organization. Actions have been taken to improve antimicrobial use, especially in settings such as hospitals. However, a large amount of antimicrobials are administered to food-producing animals, posing a risk of spread of antibiotic-resistant organisms to humans through contaminated retail meat, or by direct contact with animals. In the USA, efforts are in place to limit the use of antimicrobials for growth enhancement as opposed to disease prevention or treatment purposes. Additionally, the US Administration is calling for improved surveillance capabilities for the monitoring of antimicrobial use in livestock and for the tracking of antimicrobial resistance through the National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System, as well as for development of antimicrobial alternatives for use in food production. The restaurant industry and meat suppliers are also committing to decreasing the amounts of antimicrobials used in animal food production.
Source: Current Treatment Options in Infectious Diseases - Category: Infectious Diseases Source Type: research