Antibiotic Use for Growth Promotion in Animals: Ecologic and Public Health Consequences

Area of Science:

• Microbiology
• Public Health
• Veterinary Medicine

Background:

• Antibiotics are crucial for treating infectious diseases in humans, animals, and plants.
• Widespread antibiotic use has led to the selection of single and multiple drug-resistant bacteria.
• Clinicians face increasing challenges in treating common infections due to bacterial resistance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To critically evaluate the benefits and risks associated with various antibiotic usage patterns.
• To assess the impact of antibiotic use in animal agriculture on the development and spread of resistance.
• To explore alternative strategies for growth promotion that mitigate the selection of resistant bacteria.

Main Methods:

• Review of current antibiotic usage practices in human and animal health.
• Analysis of the environmental dissemination of antibiotic resistance determinants.
• Evaluation of available alternative growth promotion methods.

Main Results:

• Approximately half of US-produced antibiotics are used in animals, primarily for sub-therapeutic growth promotion.
• Prolonged sub-therapeutic antibiotic use in animals selects for multiply-resistant bacteria, contributing to a shared environmental pool.
• Resistance determinants spread among bacteria, hosts, and geographical areas, posing a public health threat.

Conclusions:

• The extensive use of antibiotics for animal growth promotion is a major contributor to the environmental pool of transferable resistance genes.
• Alternative growth promotion strategies that do not select for multiple resistances are available.
• Adopting these alternatives can significantly reduce the public health risk associated with antibiotic resistance.