Antimicrobial resistance

Antimicrobial resistance

Subject: Science and Technology

Context: A new joint inter-agency report has found positive associations between antimicrobial use (AMU) in animals and antimicrobial resistance in animals as well as in humans.

• The report, titled Antimicrobial consumption and resistance in bacteria from humans and animals

According to the report:

• Penicillins, first- and second-generation cephalosporins and macrolides were the highest selling classes in human medicine.
• For food-producing animals, tetracyclines and penicillins were the highest selling classes
• The consumption of colistin, was higher in food-producing animals than in humans.
• Need to promote prudent use of antimicrobial agents and infection control and prevention in both humans and in food-producing animals, in a ‘One Health’ approach.
• Restricting the use of CIAs in animals or adoption of preventive measures to reduce dependence on antibiotics in food-animal production.

Some antibiotics and pathogens

• Six classes of antibiotics: Third and fourth generation cephalosporins, fluoroquinolones, polymyxins, aminopenicillins, macrolides and tetracyclines.
• Except tetracyclines, all remaining five classes are critically important antimicrobials (CIA) categorised by the World Health Organization (WHO) as critical for use in human health.
• Four out of these five CIAs are highest priority (HPCIA).  These classes are also included in the WHO AWaRe (Access, Watch, Reserve) classification.
• coliand K. pneumonia are common infection causing pathogens, S. aureus and C. jejuni are food-borne bacteria.