BIOMIN Asia Nutrition Forum drives key message of prudence in antimicrobial use
At the recently-concluded Asia Nutrition Forum organised by animal nutrition company, BIOMIN, an urgent call for the prudent use of antimicrobial in livestock production was the key message to over 200 participants who gathered at the Reunification Palace in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam on October 18.
Emeritus Professor Mary Barton from the University of South Australia opened the forum with a thought-provoking presentation on the impact of in-feed antimicrobial use on antimicrobial resistance in human pathogens. With increasing human infections that are resistant to antimicrobials, she warned of the global health challenge which is bringing us 'back to the pre-antibiotic era'.
Dr Jan Vanbrabant, CEO of BIOMIN Asia Pacific also said in his opening remark that "One thing that is gaining more importance in Asia is the current and future use of antimicrobials." Of the solutions provided by the Austrian-based animal nutrition company, which celebrates its 30 years of founding this year, he said, "Since the early days, replacing antibiotic growth promoters with natural alternatives has been one of the key success factors of BIOMIN."
She illustrated through various studies, clear links between increasing antimicrobial resistance in humans to the abuse of antimicrobial use in livestock production. She sent a clear message that 'we all swim in the same gene pool', that using antimicrobial in one species can lead to resistance in another species, with the manifestation of superbugs as a result of our prolonged failure to preserve antimicrobials.
Today, fluoroquinolones/enrofloxacin resistance in campylobacter and salmonella is directly linked to therapeutic use of fluoroquinolones in feed and drinking water to treat salmonella and respiratory infections in poultry and other animals. Similarly, resistance of tylosin (macrolide) is widespread around the world in pig and chicken isolates of campylobacter, reflecting the extensive use of tylosin in animal feeds as an AGP, prophylactically to prevent/control mycoplasma infections and swine dysentery and ileitis and therapeutically for respiratory infections.
Currently, colistin, tiamulin, lincomycin, tylosin, chlortetracycline and furaltadone are used in livestock production; with avilamycin and kitasamycin commonly used as AGPs. The impact on humans is even more critical when 'last-resort' antimicrobials for humans such as colistin and critical human drug are used in animal feed, resulting in resistance of these important antimicrobials in humans.
For instance, human resistance to vancomycin, a critical human drug is linked to animals fed avoparcin as AGP. In addition, human resistance to quinupristin/ dalfopristin meant to treat methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) infection in humans is linked to animals fed virginiamycin, which belongs the same class of antimicrobial.
While all AGPs were banned by 2006 in Europe and antimicrobials in classes used in human medicine are available on a prescription-only basis in Australia, antimicrobial stewardship and the separation of antimicrobials used in animal feeds from those used by humans is still not practiced globally.
Prof Barton believes that, fortunately, these days, improvement in production can be achieved through means other than antimicrobials, such as improving hygiene, husbandry and dietary modification; and the use of additives such as prebiotics, probiotics, enzymes, plant extracts and organic acids. Alternative therapeutic approaches such as the use of vaccines and bacteriophages can also be adopted.
Finally, she called for improved antimicrobial stewardship, including control of over-the-counter sale of antimicrobials; the ban on AGP; the ban on the use of valuable human antimicrobials in livestock production; and very importantly, education on the use of antimicrobials among livestock producers.
