Reduce, replace and re-think the use of antimicrobials in animals.

 

 Reducing the use of antimicrobials in food-producing animals, replacing them where possible and re-thinking the livestock production system is essential for the future of animal and public health.

 Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the world’s most pressing public health issues and the use of antimicrobials in animals contributes to this problem, so limiting their use to the minimum necessary to treat infectious diseases in animals is crucial. 

 Control strategies that have been important drivers for change include setting of national targets to reduce antimicrobial use. The use of antimicrobials in animals should be reduced to the minimum that is necessary to treat infectious diseases. Other than in exceptional cases, their use to prevent such diseases should be phased out in favour of alternative measures. 

 Critically important antimicrobials for human medicine should only be used in animals as a last resort. Alternatives to antimicrobials that have been shown to improve animal health and thereby reduce the need to use antimicrobials include vaccines, probiotics, prebiotics, bacteriophages and organic acids. 

 However, reducing the use of antimicrobials and finding alternatives is not enough. There is a need to re-think the livestock system by implementing farming practices that prevent the introduction and spread of the disease into farms and by considering alternative farming systems which are viable with reduced use of antimicrobials. 

Education and awareness of AMR should be addressed to all levels of society but in particular to veterinarians and farmers. 

 Experts concluded that it is reasonable to assume that reducing antimicrobial use in food-producing animals would result in a general decrease in antimicrobial resistance in the bacteria that they carry and the food products derived from them. 

However, they could not quantify the impact of single reduction measures or alternatives to antimicrobials on levels of antimicrobial resistance in food-producing animals and food due to lack of data. continue

Antimicrobial resistance :rats a major link in antimicrobial resistance in animals and man.

The world is faced with the issue of drug-resistance, super bugs and antibiotic residue in animal-by-products,forcing producers to look critically at methods of production and handling of products to resolve these issues. 

The war against super bugs is super hot with various school of thoughts proposing various theories and solutions to resolve the issue to ensure better health for man and the food animals consumed. The environment has been know to play host to various disease agents and the host/carriers are also housed in the environment,creating an unending cycle of infection to diverse hosts. 

 Rats are ubiquitous,with the propensity to carry disease agents in their urine,feces,hair and feet.These creatures could actually be the missing link in the antibiotic resistance saga. 

 Rats presence in poultry houses,farms and pet homes result in feed/water contamination with urine/feces resulting in salmonellosis,which the farmer responds to using antibiotics. When the source of infection is not removed, there will be a continuous cycle of infection-reinfection and treatment with various antibiotics .

  The threat of rats to health of man and animals is real and must be properly understood to ensure the necessary strategy is incorporated. A recent study by scientist in the University of Colombia, has revealed the risk that rats pose:Rats can absorb disease agents from their local environment and spread them, according to a University of British Colombia new study. The results also indicate that the threat rats pose to the health of poultry and humans has been underestimated.

Researchers studied the feces of rats caught at an Abbotsford, B.C. poultry farm, and discovered they all carried avian pathogenic E. coli, a bacteria with the ability to cause disease in chickens and potentially humans. More than one quarter of the rats were carrying multi-drug resistant strains of the bacteria. 

The findings support lead author Chelsea Himsworth's theory that rats act as a "pathogen sponge," soaking up bacteria from their environment. If rats can absorb pathogenic E. coli, then they could potentially be a source of all sorts of other pathogens that we have not anticipated," said Himsworth, assistant professor in the UBC School of Population and Public Health and leader of the Vancouver Rat Project, a group aiming to address the knowledge gap about the health threats associated with rats. 

 Himsworth was surprised to find that the E. coli strains carried by the farm rats were very similar to those found in chickens, and totally different from E. coli strains found in urban rats. Basically, the rural rat gut looked like the poultry gut, and nothing like the urban rat gut . 

 This latest study follows previous research by Himsworth that found human pathogens, including MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) and C. difficile, in the feces of rats in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside. 

 Rat infestations ought to be taken seriously," said Himsworth. "They need to be tackled with an educated, informed approach in collaboration with scientists and pest control professionals. There should be the development of municipal programs for managing rat infestations and rat-related issues. 

 Rodent control # rodenticide rodent bait # rodent proof.

EGGS AND ANTIBIOTIC RESIDUE.

Antibiotic residue in animal by products such as eggs are a global concern especially with the "superbugs effect".The process of rearing animals on a commercial level has come under attack because of the impact on the health of man.The production process from farm to table is laced with use of antibiotics ,growth hormones and anticoccidial drugs,which impact negatively on the consumers. Antibiotic residue in animals has been identified as the key factor for proliferation of antibiotic resistant bacteria resulting in several deaths especially in children and women.The residues in animal tissues have also been fingered as the reason for increase cases of obesity,diabetes,cancer ,kidney and liver diseases and early attainment of sexual maturity in children. The additives in animal feed with its negative impact on health has been a debate and several countries opting out of the use,with many buying animals reared only on home grown feed,more and more people buying organic products and very many others purchasing from farmers/organizations with better production method. The rearing of animals can be a mind bogging experience if the proper management technique are not employed, and products churned out will definitely be different. Eggs; a major by-product from poultry has come under scrutiny with many scholars advocating the incorporation into diet and some others criticizing this because of " cholesterol" level but the fact is "an egg a day does keep the doctors away." Eggs are of immense benefits, they provide the body with essential vitamins and minerals e.t.c( read more about egg benefits at google.com/+BolanleOjuri) The eggs produced from chicken raised on antibiotic laden techniques cannot deliver any nutrient to the consumer,rather its a vehicle for antibiotic resistant bacteria to proliferate. An egg is really not an egg on its own,rather an egg is the sum total of what you feed your chicken,hence your practice impacts your products. Chicken raised with Atovi premix have the following benefits; the poultry house has no foul odor,the chicken are big without fat and skin is smooth and crispy, the eggs are bigger with thick shells and no antibiotic residue.The atovi ensures natural detoxification and expulsion of harmful compounds such as synthetic drugs,natural poison and antibiotics on cellular level which ensures that eggs and poultry are free of residues.The digestive system is energized and it ensures proper absorption of nutrient and total utilization which results in odorless waste due to absence of undigested protein in the feces. The birds have greater stamina,they dont succumb to diseases because of there energized cells that enhances their immune system. Farms where Atovi is used have zero cost on medication which is a real advantage especially in outbreak cases of bird flu,the birds wont contract the virus. Eggs are essential for development especially for children so ensure you are buying eggs of chicken raised without antibiotics.

Antibiotic use in animal and its impact on human health.

Antibiotics are used for treatment of certain diseases in animals ,but they are also incorporated into production and management in livestock. Antibiotics are used for improved performance in growth and feed efficiency, to synchronize reproductive cycle,breeding performance and control of reproductive cycle.The use of antibiotics in food animals raises concern on 2 levels: 1) the antibiotic residue in food animals result in potential toxicity and 2) the residue in milk,meat,and eggs changes the normal flora of the gut resulting in development of resistant strains of bacteria which are now resistant to normal antibiotic therapy. The use of antibiotics in food animals have tolerance levels as stipulated by W.H.O and F.A.O,but most producers do not align their production along stipulated standards.The antibiotics have stipulated withdrawal times that must elapse before such animals are slaughtered, the noncompliance with these periods are responsible for this global hazard. Antibiotic residue in food animal is a global concern because of the potential hazard it breeds,as most health concerns in man have been traced to these residues in food animals.The up surge of diabetes, obesity,kidney failure and hypertension has been linked to these residues,this is the reason most people and now certain organization have turned the organic way.People /food corporations have imbibed a no-antibiotic-ever in their foods because of the resultant effect of better health . A food company in the U.S: PERDUE FOODS, have introduced a no-antibiotic ever in their production, as they have stopped using antibiotics as growth promoter or in their hatcheries due to public concerns about the impact of antibiotic use in food animals and the impact of this on the efficacy of treatment in humans. The company has introduced its new line of no-antibiotic ever products to the school lunch program and to the public. It is of value to remember that production/animal husbandry before the new age was done with natural ingredients without any genetic alteration,antibiotic promoters and the rate of production normal,but with increasing demand of all these products,the producers embarked on a journey of fast growth, bigger egg sizes, faster feed efficiency all in the shortest possible time has culminated in these surge of health issues. Diseases hitherto un common have now evolved because of all these changes in animals,their products and consequent interaction with MAN. The fact still remains you are what you eat or better still you are what your animals eat.