Public health and policy.

Area of Science:

• Veterinary Public Health
• Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance
• Food Safety

Background:

• Antimicrobial misuse in food animals drives resistance, posing risks to human health through pathogen transfer.
• Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and usage require national-level monitoring, as recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO).
• Current US surveillance (NARMS) tracks resistance but lacks comprehensive antimicrobial usage data in food-producing animals.

Purpose of the Study:

• To highlight the necessity of collecting antimicrobial usage data in food-producing animals.
• To emphasize the importance of integrating usage data with existing resistance surveillance.
• To inform strategies for mitigating antimicrobial resistance and protecting public health.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing antimicrobial resistance surveillance systems and their limitations.
• Analysis of requirements for a transparent and effective antimicrobial usage data collection system.
• Discussion of the integration of usage and resistance data for policy and education.

Main Results:

• The United States currently lacks a systematic mechanism for collecting antimicrobial usage data in food-producing animals.
• Clear, transparent data collection systems are needed for trend analysis and international comparison.
• Integrating antimicrobial usage data with resistance data (e.g., from NARMS) is essential.

Conclusions:

• Implementing a robust antimicrobial usage data collection system is critical for the US.
• Such data will enable targeted interventions to reduce misuse and overuse in food animals.
• Effective mitigation strategies informed by usage data are vital for preserving antimicrobial efficacy and safeguarding human health.