Antibiotic Resistance Increasing World-Wide

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We’ve all heard about the dangers of antibiotic resistance. This new report shows the danger is real – and it’s growing….

The widespread use of antibiotics has been linked to the growth of antibiotic resistance, and the problem is not going away anytime soon. Indiscriminate use of antibiotics among humans and especially animals has led to a rise in “super bugs” – germs with resistance to even the strongest antibiotics. These viruses and bacteria can be lethal, and scientists and medical researchers are struggling to find a cure for them even as more and more superbugs crop up.

New research shows that the number of antibiotic-resistant bacteria is growing even faster than we thought:

In the U.S. alone, antibiotic-resistant bacteria is responsible for more than 23,000 deaths and two million infections with a direct cost of $20 billion a year, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In Europe, the number is about 25,000 deaths. Across the globe, from Mozambique to India to Central America, there are more and more cases of drug-resistant infections that are costing lives and money.

“Evidence from around the world indicates an overall decline in the total stock of antibiotic effectiveness: resistance to all first-line and last-resort antibiotics is rising,” finds a new report out today from the Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics & Policy…. The report, “The State of the World’s Antibiotics, 2015,” takes a look at the current state of antibiotic use and antibiotic resistance rates in humans and livestock around the globe. It’s a pretty serious problem, and the agricultural use of antibiotics plays a large part.

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According to Laxminarayan, antibiotics given to livestock makes up roughly two-thirds of the entire use of antibiotics globally, with the rest going for use in humans. In the U.S., about 80 percent of antibiotics are used for livestock and 20 percent for humans. Around the world the use of antibiotics for animals is expected to rise.

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Laxminarayan says much of the antibiotics given to livestock is being used for growth promotion rather than medically. He says it’s “kind of insidious” since in some cases antibiotics are “premixed into the feed so farmers may not even be aware of the fact they’re feeding antibiotics to their animals.”

The report states that cattle, poultry, and pigs raised on antibiotics harbor “significant populations of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, which are transmitted to humans through direct contact with the animals and through their meat, eggs, and milk.” Additionally, a proportion of the antibiotics used in both agriculture and aquaculture end up in the environment adding to the “total global burden of antibiotic resistance in both animals and humans.”

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Laxminarayan says just incentivizing new antibiotic development isn’t the answer to our resistance problem because new drugs aren’t likely to be available for quite some time, and when they do become available are likely to be “quite expensive.” He believes the answer lies in better public health—areas like water sanitation and vaccinations when possible; reducing the use of antibiotics in animals and banning their use for growth promotion; continuing to monitor use and resistance; and educating populations about antibiotic resistance.

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For more info check out the full article at ModernFarmer.com…

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