March 23, 2022

 

Researchers in Canada are exploring ways to limit antimicrobial use in livestock

 

 

University of Calgary researchers are using beef and dairy cattle from Alberta state, Canada to find ways to limit antimicrobial use in livestock, Yahoo! News reported.

 

Herman Barkema, scientific director of the Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) One Health Consortium, said it is important to stop the increase of antimicrobial resistance in livestock, and the best way is to restrict the use of antibiotics and stop using certain specific antibiotics.

 

The consortium, founded in 2019, is made up of several institutions across Alberta, which includes the University of Calgary, the University of Alberta and the University of Lethbridge.

 

Berkema said the antibiotic resistant bacteria are able to spread from livestock to humans through runoff water from farms. Workers in farms and their families are especially at risk due to constant contact with livestock.

 

Karin Orsel, veterinary professor at University of Calgary and researcher with the One Health Consortium, is leading a research on lowering Bovine Respiratory Disease (BRD) risk in beef cattle. Antimicrobials are used to treat BRD.

 

Orsel said BRD often infects when calves are moved to a feedlot, from the stress of being separated from their mothers.

 

Orsel's team is testing a "preconditioning" method so calves are prepared for movement to the feedlot. The method involves a weaning process where calves are separated from their mothers long before they are moved to the feedlot. Orsel said the aim is to spread out the stressful events so they are less likely to get ill.

 

Janice Tranberg, president and CEO of the Alberta Cattle Feeders' Association, said transparency in the use of antimicrobials in the cattle sector is important and that medication should only be used when required.

 

It is mandatory for farmers to obtain a prescription from a veterinarian to use antimicrobials for their livestock since 2018. Tranberg said the requirement was important to limiting the use of antimicrobials in the industry.

 

Tranberg said the Cattle Feeders' Association and other livestock organisations are working with the Public Health Agency to monitor antimicrobials use in livestock through the Canadian Integrated Program for Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance (CIPARS), which was launched in 2002.

 

Orsel and Barkema said Canada's livestock industry is positively moving towards preventing AMR. Barkema said Canadian farmers want to ensure they are doing the right thing for consumer health and for their livestock.

 

Orsel said the focus should be on managing the use of antimicrobials to raise a healthy product instead of depending on it for the livestock sector.

 

Alberta accounts for 40% of Canada's 3.8 million beef cows, based on a 2016 Statistics Canada census.

 

-      Yahoo! News