Mathew Alan G, Cissell Robin, Liamthong S
Department of Animal Science, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996, USA.
Foodborne Pathog Dis. 2007 Summer;4(2):115-33. doi: 10.1089/fpd.2006.0066.
The use of antimicrobial compounds in food animal production provides demonstrated benefits, including improved animal health, higher production and, in some cases, reduction in foodborne pathogens. However, use of antibiotics for agricultural purposes, particularly for growth enhancement, has come under much scrutiny, as it has been shown to contribute to the increased prevalence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria of human significance. The transfer of antibiotic resistance genes and selection for resistant bacteria can occur through a variety of mechanisms, which may not always be linked to specific antibiotic use. Prevalence data may provide some perspective on occurrence and changes in resistance over time; however, the reasons are diverse and complex. Much consideration has been given this issue on both domestic and international fronts, and various countries have enacted or are considering tighter restrictions or bans on some types of antibiotic use in food animal production. In some cases, banning the use of growth-promoting antibiotics appears to have resulted in decreases in prevalence of some drug resistant bacteria; however, subsequent increases in animal morbidity and mortality, particularly in young animals, have sometimes resulted in higher use of therapeutic antibiotics, which often come from drug families of greater relevance to human medicine. While it is clear that use of antibiotics can over time result in significant pools of resistance genes among bacteria, including human pathogens, the risk posed to humans by resistant organisms from farms and livestock has not been clearly defined. As livestock producers, animal health experts, the medical community, and government agencies consider effective strategies for control, it is critical that science-based information provide the basis for such considerations, and that the risks, benefits, and feasibility of such strategies are fully considered, so that human and animal health can be maintained while at the same time limiting the risks from antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
在食用动物生产中使用抗菌化合物已显示出诸多益处，包括改善动物健康、提高产量，在某些情况下还能减少食源性病原体。然而，将抗生素用于农业目的，尤其是用于促进生长，已受到诸多审视，因为已表明这会导致具有人类重要意义的抗生素耐药菌的流行率增加。抗生素耐药基因的转移以及耐药菌的选择可通过多种机制发生，这些机制不一定总是与特定抗生素的使用相关。流行率数据可能会提供一些关于耐药性随时间的发生情况和变化的视角；然而，原因是多样且复杂的。国内外都对这个问题给予了诸多关注，各国已颁布或正在考虑对食用动物生产中某些类型的抗生素使用实施更严格的限制或禁令。在某些情况下，禁止使用促生长抗生素似乎已导致一些耐药菌的流行率下降；然而，随后动物发病率和死亡率的上升，尤其是幼畜，有时导致治疗性抗生素的使用增加，而这些抗生素往往来自与人类医学更相关的药物类别。虽然很明显随着时间推移抗生素的使用会导致细菌中，包括人类病原体中出现大量耐药基因，但农场和家畜中的耐药生物给人类带来的风险尚未明确界定。随着家畜生产者、动物健康专家、医学界和政府机构考虑有效的控制策略，基于科学的信息为这些考量提供依据至关重要，并且要充分考虑这些策略的风险、益处和可行性，以便在限制抗生素耐药菌风险的同时维持人类和动物的健康。
