Veterinarian's responsibility in the prudent use of antibiotics in animals
Antra Brinke, Deputy Director of the Veterinary and Food Department of the Ministry of Agriculture
The issue of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is receiving a lot of attention worldwide and in Europe. International organizations and EU institutions recognize that the development of AMR not only has serious consequences for human and animal health and life, but has become a global and growing threat to public health in general. Therefore, urgent and coordinated action by all countries within the framework of the “One Health” principle is needed. Each EU Member State is called upon to implement a plan of action against the growing threat posed by AMR.
In order to ensure targeted and effective containment of the development of AMR in animals in the country, a National Action Plan on the Containment of AMR and the Prudent Use of Antimicrobials in Veterinary Medicine has been developed at the initiative of the Ministry of Agriculture. Both state institutions and animal health professionals are involved in the implementation of the plan. The plan provides for measures that will promote the prudent use of antibiotics:
– monitoring and control measures for the circulation of antibiotics and resistant microorganisms,
– collection of antibiotic use data,
– improvement of measures to limit and prevent infectious animal diseases,
– scientific research on the development of AMR in the country,
– training and informing the public and veterinary specialists.
There has been a lot of media coverage recently regarding the use of antimicrobials (antibiotics) in animals. Questions arise about how to distinguish drug residues in animal products from AMR? And – most importantly – what is the responsibility of the veterinarian and the animal owner in the prudent use of drugs?
Latvia and antibiotics
Based on statistical data from the European Medicines Agency, it can be noted that antibiotics are distributed and used in farm animals in Latvia significantly more cautiously than the EU average. Latvia is among the 20 percent of European countries with the lowest consumption of antibiotics in food-producing animals (eighth place among 30 European countries).
When it comes to the so-called “last-resort” or “last-generation” antibiotics** for animals – these antibiotics are used in Latvia above the EU average level, compared to other EU member states. The consumption of these specific antibiotics is approximately 11 percent of all antibiotics used in animals in our country. It is worth noting the trend that the amount of antibiotic use in the country has decreased by 5 percent in the last five years.
Antibiotics and veterinarian responsibility
The purpose of a practicing veterinarian is to maintain and improve public and animal health, and his or her responsibilities include the prevention and treatment of animal diseases. Only a practicing veterinarian, after assessing the animal's health, may determine whether and which antibiotics should be used in animals. In addition, it is the veterinarian's responsibility to supervise the use of these drugs.
No written and approved regulatory act can regulate which antibiotics and how much should be used in animals, as this is a professional decision of the veterinarian in each specific situation. A practicing veterinarian spends six years studying a specialty at a university, but improves their qualifications throughout their life, therefore they are able to make responsible and professionally justified decisions.
We urge practicing veterinarians to choose antibiotics for animal treatment in accordance with the principles of prudent antibiotic use – basing the decision on an accurate diagnosis, assessing the potential effect of antibiotic resistance and alternative long-term solutions to reduce the development of antibiotic resistance in microorganisms. If possible, an antibiogram should be performed to determine the sensitivity of the pathogen to specific antibiotics.
Antibiotics and the responsibility of the pet owner
In turn, the animal owner must contact a practicing veterinarian in the event of an animal becoming ill, must strictly follow the practicing veterinarian's instructions on the use of medication, and must comply with the prohibition set by the practicing veterinarian on the use of animal-origin food products obtained from animals treated with antibiotics. A practicing veterinarian is the animal owner's best ally in maintaining a healthy and highly productive animal herd, as well as in producing safe and high-quality animal-origin food.
It should always be remembered that by ensuring appropriate housing and feeding conditions for animals, observing biosecurity requirements, and by vaccinating when necessary, the use of antibiotics can be reduced to a minimum.
Drug residues
Any medicine administered to an animal remains in the tissues for a certain period of time until it is excreted from the animal's body. If medicines, such as antibiotics, are used in accordance with the instructions for use and the specified withdrawal period of the medicine is observed, then after treatment there will be no drug residues in the milk, eggs, meat or other products obtained from the treated animal, or there will be so few of them that they do not exceed the scientifically established permissible amount. Such products are safe for human health, despite the fact that the medicine has been previously administered to the animal. Every year, the Food and Veterinary Service in the country checks approximately 2,000 samples for the presence of residues, and only in rare cases have violations been detected.
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR)
AMR is the ability of microorganisms to resist or become resistant to antibiotics that would normally kill the microorganism. When a microorganism is resistant to any of the antibiotics, it makes it very difficult to treat both humans and animals.
Development of AMR
Antibiotics play an indispensable role in the treatment of human and animal diseases and in ensuring public health. They are necessary to treat very dangerous infectious diseases, such as tuberculosis, as well as to stop the further spread of various diseases.
Unfortunately, the use of any antibiotics leads to the development of resistance in microorganisms to the respective antibiotics – regardless of whether the antibiotics are used in humans or animals.
The risk of developing AMR increases when antibiotics are used:
– wrong,
– in a non-specific manner (for example, as a drug for mass treatment or against non-susceptible microorganisms),
– in too small doses,
– repeatedly or for an inappropriate period of time.
AMR develops as a consequence of antibiotic use in both human and veterinary medicine.
Human, animal, environment and AMR
Resistant microorganisms can be transmitted from animals to humans through food (undercooked food, cross-contaminated food), from the environment (infected soil, water), and through direct contact with farm or domestic (pet) animals. The opposite can also happen – animals can acquire resistant microorganisms from food, from the environment, and through direct contact with another person or animal.
The risk of resistance development in microorganisms that live in the environment around us – in water, soil – is created by both unused antibiotics and already resistant microorganisms with, for example, household waste, wastewater, manure. We cannot view AMR as just an agricultural problem, it must be seen within the framework of “One Health” – from the perspective of both human and animal health and also the environment. Each of us must treat the use of antibiotics with great responsibility.
Source: Ministry of Agriculture