Antimicrobials: use in animal husbandry & resistance in humans

Abstract

Australian policy currently allows the use of avoparcin for animal use despite its similarity in structure to vancomycin and the recommendations of the World Health Organisation (WHO). The use of antibiotics in food producing animals is recognised as favouring the development of antibiotic resistance and the ongoing emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria is a public health issue of increasing concern. The concern is that current life-saving antibiotics are becoming less effective. The requirement then is for more toxic and costly antibiotics to be used, reducing the alternatives available. This viewpoint reviews the use of antibiotics in animal husbandry, in particular avoparcin and discusses the emergence of vancomycin resistant enterococci (VRE).