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Title: THE EFFECT OF LIVESTOCK ANTIMICROBIAL USE ON RESISTANCE PREVALENCE

Author
item REEVES, D - UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA
item Cray, Paula
item Ladely, Scott

Submitted to: American Association of Swine Practitioners Proceedings
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/15/2000
Publication Date: 2/25/2001
Citation: Reeves, D.E., Cray, P.J., Ladely, S.R. 2001. The effect of livestock antimicrobial use on resistance prevalence. American Association of Swine Practitioners Proceedings. Workshop. 9. P. 27-32.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: It has been proposed that the use of antimicrobials in animals may significantly contribute to the development of antimicrobial resistance in zoonotic pathogens and enterococci. While the etiologic fraction has not been determined, transmission of resistance factors as well as transmission of the bacteria through food consumption has been documented. Newer molecular analytic techniques, while improving our understanding of resistance mechanisms and resistance transfer, have further fueled this concern. The detection of human pathogens that are resistant to multiple antimicrobials is particularly worrisome. Current proposals call for limited use of antimicrobials in animal agriculture while other proposals suggest that the relative risk of resistance transfer to human pathogens through the food chain or environmental contamination is minimal and thus does not warrant concern. Additional arguments suggest that inappropriate antimicrobial use in human medicine is the major culprit causing increased resistance in human pathogens.