Antimicrobial resistance
- July 14, 2021
- Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
- Category: DPN Topics
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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.