Antibiotic resistance is a global crisis on a personal level because it involves a first line of defense to control infections in humans as well as animals. As the public becomes more aware and educated about where their food comes from, they are also questioning and scrutinizing how animals are raised and are concerned about the use of antibiotics on farms.
“It's been proven that a portion of the antibiotic resistance we're seeing was derived originally from animal production,” said Martin Guillet, global head and general manager of AgriBusiness at Thermo Fisher Scientific. “As consumers become increasingly aware, more scrutiny will be put on producer and veterinarian practices — what they're doing to promote prudent use of antibiotics to curb the occurrence of antibiotic-resistant pathogens and even requesting that animals are raised antibiotic free.”
Impact of resistance
In recent years, the broad-spectrum approach to antibiotic use has put pressure on the economics of animal production, Guillet said. The result is stronger regulation of first-line antibiotics usage to ensure their ability to control infections or cure a disease.
“The impact of antibiotic resistance for the producer is that it limits the profitability of his or her business,” he said. “This is one of the core issues of antibiotic resistance — the lack of efficacy of first-line treatment for sick animals — because a healthy herd or flock is one of the keys to profitability.”
Through a complex process called resistance transfer, antibiotic resistance can be passed from bacteria to bacteria. If antibiotic resistant bacteria infect a human, it limits the number of treatment options available when they are ill. A basic infection could become deadly if the treatment is not effective.
“As an industry, we have a responsibility to consumers to use antibiotics as judiciously as possible,” Guillet noted.
Role diagnostics plays in managing resistance
Diagnostics play a vital role in managing antibiotic resistance simply by identifying a specific target. Many bacterial infections and viral diseases present similar symptoms in animals. Since antibiotics aren’t effective against viral diseases, they offer no value to the sick animal.
Diagnostics play a vital role in managing antibiotic resistance simply by identifying a specific target.
“Until recently, common practice was to use a broad-spectrum antibiotic to treat a sick animal or group of animals,” he explained. “A diagnostic test identifies the specific bacterial pathogen causing the clinical signs, and that information allows veterinarians to know the specific antibiotic to prescribe to control or eradicate the pathogen. This enables a more targeted, prudent use of antibiotics, which can help the entire industry manage the issue of antibiotic resistance.”
Diagnostics technology is advancing extremely rapidly, providing new approaches to testing that are more precise and offer rapid results.
“Not so long ago, diagnostics were conducted by growing cultures in a Petri dish, and that took many days or weeks to get results,” he said. Today, ELISA technology and molecular tests on different sample types — using a swab, tissue, saliva or blood samples — can provide results the same day. Technology, science, awareness and education are also creating a mindset, from the producer all the way to the consumer, who desires more information.
“Until recently, diagnostics was seen as an expense — something that you could do without,” he noted. “Now, we are seeing a change in the mindset of the value chain that diagnostics is an investment and can have a positive impact on the entire value chain, be it as a disease prevention tool that can reduce the use of antibiotics or by allowing prudent use of antibiotics.”
Diagnostic use in the industry
In some countries, regulations require diagnostics to be performed before an antibiotic is prescribed to confirm the proper treatment is administered.
“Mastitis in the dairy industry is an example – there are several countries in Europe that require a diagnostic test to be performed to identify exactly which pathogen is causing the disease,” he said. “Antibiotic use is not allowed unless a diagnostic test has been completed.” Guillet anticipates this type of regulation could become the norm over time, driven by public health agencies and global consumers.
“Consumers will continue to scrutinize how their food is being raised,” he said. “We're already seeing it in certain countries where consumers are changing their eating habits because of the fear of a presence of pathogens or antibiotic residue. Consumer pressure already has an effect on industry practices.”
Conclusion
The challenge and opportunity for the entire value chain, from farm gate to plate, is to produce a sufficient amount of food for the world’s growing population while minimizing the potential threat of antibiotic resistance and the spread of zoonosis.
Targeted medicine practices, using the right antibiotic that’s linked to the specific pathogen causing the illness, allow diagnostics to help play a crucial role in managing antibiotic resistance and, at the same time, help farmers produce quality food while minimizing risk for foodborne diseases.
“It's been proven that a portion of the antibiotic resistance we're seeing was derived originally from animal production,” said Martin Guillet, global head and general manager of AgriBusiness at Thermo Fisher Scientific.
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