Healthcare Priorities
This article was originally published in SRA
Executive Summary
UK revises strategy for handling antimicrobial resistance in animals
UK revises strategy for handling antimicrobial resistance in animals
The UK government has revised its strategy on tackling antimicrobial resistance occurring in animals in England and Wales1,2. The updated document outlines a work programme to detect the emergence and spread of resistant clones and suggests measures to increase knowledge about the mechanisms and transfer of antimicrobial resistance.
The document identifies current and proposed veterinary surveillance activities for antimicrobial resistance and includes a commitment by the UK to participate in a European Union-co-ordinated study into the presence of MRSA (Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus) in breeding pig farms3. It lists the status of existing programmes with details on how work might be achieved. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said the key elements of the revised strategy include:
- conducting surveillance to determine prevalence of resistant organisms in animal populations;
- developing guidelines to encourage the prudent use of antimicrobials;
- promoting development of livestock management systems that reduce the use of antimicrobials;
- reviewing the dosage regimes for authorised products and contributing to the development of European guidelines to ensure that regimes to delay the development of resistance are put in place for new products;
- identifying research priorities and commissioning research projects to obtain a better understanding of resistance;
- ensuring veterinary education reflects the importance of the issue; and
- promoting public awareness of issues relating to the use of antimicrobials in animals.
The strategy will be kept under review and will develop with time to include new and emerging information and scientific knowledge as it becomes available. Another document detailing the successes and outputs of the strategy since 2004 has also been published4.
In recent years, there has been an increasing prevalence of micro-organisms resistant to antibiotics, which has reduced the effectiveness of some treatments in both humans and animals. Of particular concern is the possible transfer of antimicrobial resistance genes and resistant organisms between animals and humans.
The European Food Safety Authority recently adopted an opinion by its Biological Hazards panel on food as a source for human acquisition of antimicrobial resistant genes5. The EFSA states that a major source of human exposure to fluoroquinolone resistance via food appears to be poultry, whereas for cephalosporin resistance it is poultry, pork and beef that are important. In the US, the use of fluoroquinolones in poultry is banned for this reason6.
The panel called upon all stakeholders, including human and veterinary medicine, to acknowledge their responsibilities.
References
1. DEFRA press release, 12 August 2008, www.defra.gov.uk/news/2008/080812c.htm
2. Veterinary Medicines Directorate, 12 August 2008, www.vmd.gov.uk/Publications/Antibiotic/SurveillanceStrategy2008.pdf
3. Personal communication, DEFRA, 15 August 2008
4. VMD, Success and Output from the Surveillance Strategy, 12 August 2008, www.vmd.gov.uk/Publications/Antibiotic/SurveillanceSuccess.pdf
5. EFSA, Opinions: Foodborne antimicrobial resistance as a biological hazard, 4 August 2008, www.efsa.europa.eu/EFSA/efsa_locale-1178620753812_1211902034881.htm
6. The Regulatory Affairs Journal - Pharma, 2005, 16(9), 682