Issues of drug use and antibiotic resistance in pig production.
2004
Mathew, A. G. | Ebner, P. D.
The use of antimicrobial compounds in pig production provides demonstrated benefits, including improved health, higher production, and in some cases, reductions in food-borne pathogens. However, the use of antibiotics in livestock production, and in particular for growth enhancement, has been linked to an increased prevalence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Antibiotic resistance gene transfer and selection for resistant bacterial strains can occur through a variety of mechanisms, which may not always be linked to the selective pressures of specific antibiotic use. Likewise, prevalence data may provide some perspective of occurrence and changes in resistance over time; however, the reasons for occurrence, persistence and/or changes over time are diverse and complex, and may not always be directly linked to agricultural use and practices. Still, some countries have implemented or are proposing stricter regulations or bans of certain antibiotics and/or uses, in an effort to reduce the spread of antibiotic-resistant pathogens. In some cases, implementation of growth promotant bans appears to have resulted in decreases in prevalence of some drug resistance in bacteria; however, resulting increases in health problems, particularly in the young pig, have resulted in higher use of therapeutic antibiotics, which typically come from drug families of greater relevance to human medicine. While it is clear that use of antibiotic products can and has over time resulted in significant pools of resistance genes among various bacteria, the risk posed to humans by resistant organisms in farm settings and in livestock have not been clearly defined. Additionally, effective strategies for control, which do not in themselves promote other human health risks, have yet to be characterized. Appropriate and science-based information will be required to determine true risks and for the development of strategies that will limit the occurrence of antibiotic resistance, while maintaining human and animal health.
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