Hazell Mullins: One Health, one welfare - everyone's role in limiting AMR
That Bee Pass To Genes Amr Of Carry That Bacteria The That That That Resistant Infect Concept Then Antibiotics Infect Fundamental Can Is To Humans Animals Bacteria
“What is the main reason for all this?” This is a question I got asked by a farmer when we were discussing selective dry cows whilst TB testing last week. It brought me back to the basics of how we all have a responsibility to preserve the antibiotics we currently have and reduce the development of resistance in the future.
It may seem simple to take an antibiotic, sometimes taking it for granted, this is until someday we may take that same antibiotic and it doesn’t work - a scary place to find yourself or a loved one.
Last week, I attended a Veterinary Ireland conference in Tullamore called 'One Health One Welfare', and it discussed topics on how animal health, human health and our ecosystem are so intrinsically linked.
Not only when it comes to Zoonotic diseases that affect us both, but also the use of medications and the development of anti-microbial resistance (AMR).
Due to the evolution of domesticated species such as dogs and cats, the bacteria these animals carry can be present in our homes, clothes and even beds. With farm animals, the bacteria can be passed to humans working in close contact with them and could potentially enter the food chain due to bacterial contamination.
The conference had speakers from both the human and veterinary health communities in Ireland, we need to have more joint conferences like this going forward, it was great to hear each other’s views on the 'One Health concept'.
Dr Scott Walkin of the ICGP spoke on how GPs are working to educate the public on the responsible use of antibiotics as well as prescribing guidelines for GPs.
I think in human health we are getting more used to the concept of going to the GP and not getting an antibiotic unnecessarily. I think this can be said also for people bringing their pets into the vet with, for example, diarrhoea; mostly, these cases are treated with probiotics and diet change instead of using an antibiotic as the first line.
The same applies to calf scours; the knowledge is out there now that most scours in calves are caused by pathogens such as Rotavirus or a parasite like cryptosporidium and not a bacteria that will require an antibiotic.
Ireland has been moving in the right direction with a reduction of over 28% in the sale of veterinary antibiotics since January 2022, which is fantastic; however, more work is to be done across all sectors.
Dr Scott had a hard-hitting slide that showed a culture result from a man who had a multi-resistance bacteria that was only sensitive to an antibiotic called colistin.
This antibiotic has not been used in Ireland in Veterinary Medicine for many years due to preserving its use for humans. Ireland led the way with this ban on the use of colistin in Veterinary Medicine, again a proud moment for Ireland and the fight against AMR.
Colistin is what is called a “Critically Important Antibiotic” (CIA); not quite the Central Intelligence Agency however, are antibiotics that are prioritised for human medicine.
These medicines are to be prescribed only in very specific circumstances, which is why the choice of antibiotics on farms is now more limited, as these CIAs are no longer used as first-line treatment.
Marbofloxacin, part of the fluoroquinolone family, would be an example of a CIA that was used mainly in E.coli mastitis cases or calf scour, where now it is known that anti-inflammatories and fluids are the key components of treatment, an antibiotic is used to cover secondary bacterial complications which can belong to a non-CIA class. Since 2022, the sale of fluoroquinolones has been reduced by 42%, again a move in the right direction.
Unfortunately, there is an ever-increasing rise in human deaths due to antibiotic resistance the latest EU-based figure of 35000 deaths is extremely alarming.
The Question “What is the main reason for all of this?" is very broad, and there is no one quick answer, except that our efforts today will save lives in the future.
A quote from the conference that struck a chord with me was "One Health for the global public good”, a joint plan of action; we all have our part to play.
Next week is World Anti-microbial Awareness Week, so keep an eye out for numerous public information campaigns in the media and online. The week aims to improve awareness and understanding of AMR, with this year’s theme fitting nicely in the one health concept, "Preventing AMR Together”.
