DuPont H L, Steele J H
Rev Infect Dis. 1987 May-Jun;9(3):447-60. doi: 10.1093/clinids/9.3.447.
The inclusion of subtherapeutic doses of antimicrobial agents in animal feed is credited for having contributed to lower costs of meat, milk, and eggs. The practice often is associated with the acquisition of resistant enteric flora by the involved animals, a phenomenon that in turn may contribute to the human reservoir of coliforms and salmonellae resistant to antimicrobial agents. Farm workers may transiently acquire resistant intestinal flora and on rare occasions develop salmonellosis. Although irrefutable evidence of the growth-promoting properties of antibiotics in animal feed was provided 30-40 years ago, additional studies--with a focus on mechanisms of the effect--are presently needed. It may be possible to identify factors effective in promoting growth without deleterious effects on the intestinal flora. A national program of surveillance of antimicrobial administration (in both subtherapeutic and therapeutic doses) to food-producing animals should be established. Molecular epidemiologic research efforts must be undertaken to determine whether genetic information of animal origin contributes significantly to the human environmental pool of antimicrobial resistance. In the meantime, it does not appear that the banning of drugs as feed additives, with concomitant unrestricted use of these agents for the treatment of both animals and people, would favorably influence the problems of antimicrobial resistance and salmonellosis in human populations.
在动物饲料中添加亚治疗剂量的抗菌剂被认为有助于降低肉类、牛奶和蛋类的成本。这种做法通常与相关动物获得耐药性肠道菌群有关，反过来，这一现象可能会增加人类大肠菌和沙门氏菌对抗菌剂的耐药性。农场工人可能会短暂地获得耐药性肠道菌群，在极少数情况下会感染沙门氏菌病。尽管在30 - 40年前就已提供了关于动物饲料中抗生素促生长特性的无可辩驳的证据，但目前仍需要进行更多研究——重点是其作用机制。有可能识别出在促进生长的同时对肠道菌群没有有害影响的因素。应该建立一个全国性的监测计划，监测给食用动物使用抗菌剂（包括亚治疗剂量和治疗剂量）的情况。必须开展分子流行病学研究，以确定动物源的基因信息是否对人类环境中的抗菌药物耐药性有重大影响。与此同时，禁止将药物用作饲料添加剂，同时又无限制地将这些药物用于治疗动物和人类，似乎并不会对人类群体中的抗菌药物耐药性和沙门氏菌病问题产生有利影响。
