Here in the ‘developed world’, doctors and scientists have been warning us about the indiscriminate use of antibiotics in livestock for several decades, fearing the rise of deadly ‘superbugs’. But folks in less-developed regions, such as Africa and Asia, are only just beginning to realize the danger…
Ranchers rely on antibiotics to help keep their livestock healthy and to
boost weight gain. But now, overuse of the medications threatens
to trigger a world-wide outbreak of ‘superbugs’ that
could threaten both animals and humans.
Traditionally, people in Asia and Africa have relied heavily on Vegetables, Grains and Pulses for their sustenance, eating a minimum of Meat, Fish and Poultry. But since 2000, the demand for animal protein in those regions has skyrocketed, and livestock producers have began emulating the techniques and practices of western ranchers. One of those practices involves the use of antibiotics to keep the animals healthy and fit for human consumption.
Meat production accounts for 73 percent of global antibiotic use. Antibiotics have made large-scale husbandry and widespread meat consumption possible by reducing infection and increasing the body mass of livestock. An international team of researchers wanted to find out just how serious the problem of antibiotic resistance was in developing countries.
What they did
A team of Swiss, Belgian and U.S. researchers recently data-mined more than 1,000 published and private reports on the issue and made some alarming discoveries about the incidence of Escherichia coli, Campylobacter, Salmonella, and Staphylococcus aureus, all of which cause serious disease in animals and humans.
What they found
The researchers found that antibiotic resistance in livestock was most widespread in China and India, with Brazil and Kenya emerging as new hotspots. Since 2000, meat production has accelerated by more than 60 percent in Africa and Asia, and by 40% in South America, as countries on those continents shifted from low- to high-protein diets. More than half of the world’s chickens and pigs are in Asia.
Between 2000 and 2018, the proportion of antibiotics showing rates of resistance above 50percent in developing countries increased in chickens and pigs. This means that the antibiotics that are available to be used for treatment failed more than half the time in 40 percent of chickens and one-third of pigs raised for human consumption.
The takeaway
“We certainly do want higher-protein diets for many people, but if this comes at the cost of failing antibiotics, then we need to evaluate our priorities,” Study Report Co-author Ramanan Laxminarayan says.
One of the most troubling aspects of the crisis is that, in countries that continue to experience explosive growth in meat production and consumption, access to veterinary antimicrobials remains largely unregulated.
My take
The demand for veterinary antibiotics remains heavy even in the western world, where most countries – especially those which export Meat – have adopted strict rules about the use of the drugs in an effort to stem the world-wide increase in antibiotic resistance. An article in The Guardian just this past week underlines the critical importance of regulation and the seriousness with which scientists and public health officials regard the issue.
Dr. Sally Davies, England’s Chief Medical Officer told The Guardian, the danger posed by growing antibiotic resistance is just as great as that posed by global warming:
“It would be nice if activists recognised the importance of this,” she said. “This is happening slowly and people adjust to where we are, but this is the equivalent [danger] to extreme weather.”
Davies also criticised the pharmaceutical companies for neglecting research into new anti-microbial agents to replace those that are becoming ineffective through over use:
“There is not the appetite [among pharmaceutical companies] to develop new medicines. There is a systemic failure.”
I say, “Listen up, Big Pharma! There’s billions to be made from the development of new antibiotics!”
But Davies is right. The major pharmaceutical companies seem more focused on developing and marketing specific treatments for plaque psoriasis, asthma, Crone’s disease and overactive bladder. What would it take to wake them up to the need for new antibiotics now? And don’t forget, the situation will just get worse heading into the future. Even if they started developing new antimicrobial agents today, how many years would it take to get them to market?
~ Maggie J.