Antibiotic resistance occurs when an antibiotic has lost its ability to effectively control or kill bacterial growth; in other words, the bacteria are “resistant” and continue to multiply in the presence of therapeutic levels of an antibiotic. Antibiotic resistance can cause serious disease and is an important public health problem. It can be prevented by minimizing unnecessary prescribing and over-prescribing of antibiotics, the correct use of prescribed antibiotics, and good hygiene and infection control. Use of antibiotics on farms has been extremely controversial in the past and to this day. By using antibiotics we are creating drug resistant pathogens that could eventually travel to a human. This is where the scare of this study lies, many locals are showing up to their local hospitals with urinary tract infections and multiple other types of infections that comes from drug resistant pathogens in meat and other food sources. The use of antibiotics with animals promotes growth and healthy animals, but is effecting the natural gene selection and adaptation creating a potential risk. Antibiotic resistance cannot necessarily be prevented but the process can be slowed down. While some resistant bacteria are found naturally in the environment, pathogens and non-pathogens are released into the environment in several ways, contributing to a web of resistance that includes humans, animals, and the environment.
With the help of antibiotics, American meat production has tripled over the last 50 years. But with the growth also came concerns. Antibiotics made for a cheaper and higher grade meat industry which people obviously supported. If you added these drugs to the feed of the animal it prevented sickness, and reduced amount of feed needed which helped with cost. One of the unintended causes of this advancements was antibiotic resistance. The question today is there a link between animal sickness and human sickness? Substantial data show elevated antibiotic resistance in bacteria associated with animals fed NTAs and their food products. This resistance spreads to other animals and humans—directly by contact and indirectly via the food chain, water, air, and manured and sludge-fertilized soils. (American Society for Microbiology)
There are a lot of unknowns in this field. The direct link hasn’t been made between an animal who was given antibiotics, and a human that ate the produce causing sickness. Even though this direct connection hasn’t been made it’s easy to look at rising trends such as hospital visits, common infections, and causes of illness. “Each year, millions of people in the United States become sick from food-borne and other enteric (gastrointestinal) infections. While many of these infections are mild and do not require treatment, antibiotics can be lifesaving in severe infections. Antibiotic resistance compromises our ability to treat these infections and is a serious threat to public health.” (Centers For Disease Control). An antibiotic resistant bacteria called MRSA has been known to travel from pig farms to people. Scientists found that person’s with MRSA infections tend to be near a large confined animal feeding operation. The theory is that the MRSA causing some of the infections is coming from pig manure. When you have antibiotics in feeds, the manure is loaded with that bacterial waste.
People living close to these farms or near one of these feedings are 38% more likely to acquire MRSA. Using antibiotics in the feed of these barns is resulting in antibiotic resistant genes which travels in a variety of different ways. Many hospitals are receiving tons of locals with infections that are tying back to these pathogens. “WHO’s 2014 report on global surveillance of antimicrobial resistance reveals that antibiotic resistance is no longer a prediction for the future; it is happening right now, across the world, and is putting at risk the ability to treat common infections in the community and hospitals. Without urgent, coordinated action, the world is heading towards a post-antibiotic era, in which common infections and minor injuries, which have been treatable for decades, can once again kill.” (Who) For a single patient with a skin infection, or other bacterial infection, antibiotic resistance may mean that a prescribed medication does not work the way it is supposed to. This may result in an infection that does not heal as quickly, or other complications such as additional visits to the doctor, additional tests, and another prescription for a different antibiotic. The infection may get worse before resistance is discovered and the treatment is changed.
For the entire community, and all over the world, antibiotic resistance is a problem because many bacteria that cause infections are becoming more resistant to commonly-used antibiotic treatments. New medications are slowly being developed to treat resistant bacteria. Appropriate strategies for surveillance of antimicrobial resistance should reflect identified scientific or public health objectives, resources and available technical capacity for testing, and sustainability. These antibiotic resistant organisms surely aren’t going unnoticed and are being monitored heavily. As a community everyone must do their part in preventing rapid progression in these organisms. Any misuse, abuse, and overuse of antibiotics leads to resistant organisms that is jeopardizing the health of the world.
References
Antibiotic Resistance Threats Report and Foodborne Germs. (2014, April 14). Retrieved December 15, 2014, from
http://www.cdc.gov/narms/resources/threats.html
Postier, Russell G, P. (n.d.). Antibiotic-resistant organism infection. Retrieved December 3, 2014, from http://search.proquest.com/docview/212790996/BD6271A189E74AC2PQ/4?accountid=38189
University of Advancing Technology. (n.d.). Retrieved December 3, 2014, from http://uat.waldo.kohalibrary.com/cgi-bin/koha/opac-detail.pl?biblionumber=68103
University of Advancing Technology. (n.d.). Retrieved December 3, 2014, from http://uat.waldo.kohalibrary.com/cgi-bin/koha/opac-detail.pl?biblionumber=67449
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