Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a growing concern for the health and well-being of people around the world, and not just in hospitals, but on farms and in the food chain as well. Responsible antibiotic use in livestock and good manure management are critical to protecting animal health, public health, and the future effectiveness of our most important medicines.
New and On-going Research to Fight Antibiotic Resistance in Livestock Production
What’s being done about antibiotic resistance?
If you’ve been paying attention to the growing public discourse on antibiotics in livestock production you might well ask what can be done and what is being done about growing drug resistance. After all, even while consumer concerns tend to focus on the potential for antibiotics to enter the food supply, folks working in livestock and poultry production know that the threat of antibiotic resistance is really about growing risks for difficult or impossible-to-treat microbial disease. Moreover, producers know that this is a threat to the veterinary care their animals need as much as to human health. So again, what is being done to address resistance in livestock production?
Continue reading “New and On-going Research to Fight Antibiotic Resistance in Livestock Production”
Responsible Antibiotic Use on Dairy Farms
Are you ready for a pop quiz?
Off the top of your head, how would you answer the following questions:
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- How often do dairy cattle receive antibiotics in dairy farms in the US?
- a) Daily
- b) As needed and advised by a veterinarian
- Are there more antibiotics in milk from cows raised without antibiotics or cows raised on conventional farms?
- a) Conventional farms
- b) Neither, all milk is tested and removed from the food supply if it contains antibiotics, no matter the source.
- How often do dairy cattle receive antibiotics in dairy farms in the US?
Continue reading “Responsible Antibiotic Use on Dairy Farms”
Antibiotic resistance in environment has One-Health implications
A summary of The Human Health Implications of Antibiotic Resistance in Environmental Isolates from Two Nebraska Watersheds by Donner et al. 2022
Key points
- The interconnected health of humans, animals, and the environment is well established and increasingly studied in concert within a “One-Health” framework.
- Approximately 40% of the bacteria isolated from watersheds in this study had acquired new antibiotic resistance genes which they had picked up in the environment.
- Both urban and agricultural watersheds contained antibiotic-resistant bacteria, demonstrating the importance of one-health-based decision-making across industries and institutions.
Continue reading “Antibiotic resistance in environment has One-Health implications”
Swimmers beware, land application of manure can increase antibiotic resistance downstream
A summary of Catchment-scale export of antibiotic resistance genes and bacteria from an agricultural watershed in central Iowa by Neher et al. 2020
Key points
- With some year-to-year variation, manure application increased antibiotic resistance surface water downstream of application site.
- The CAMRADES team, led out of Iowa State University, will be expanding efforts to monitor and model AMR in agricultural watersheds in the region.
Capacity-building in One Health to Address Challenges like AMR and COVID-19
The national extension team iAMResponsible teaches a multi-university virtual course on antimicrobial resistance across the one health spectrum every spring, some of the course materials are now available here at LPELC.
This session provides an introduction to the One-Health approach, as it relates to AMR and many other wicked problems, from Dr. Phaedra Henley, University of Global Health Equity. Continue reading “Capacity-building in One Health to Address Challenges like AMR and COVID-19”
Clinical Implications of AMR
The national extension team iAMResponsible teaches a multi-university virtual course on antimicrobial resistance across the one health spectrum every spring, some of the course materials are now available here at LPELC.
In this session, we hear from a practicing physician (and medical researcher) Dr. Kelly Cawcutt, University of Nebraska Medical Center, on what growing AMR means for the future of clinical medicine. Continue reading “Clinical Implications of AMR”
Strategies to Improve Science Communication About Antimicrobial Resistance & Stewardship
The national extension team iAMResponsible teaches a multi-university virtual course on antimicrobial resistance across the one health spectrum every spring, some of the course materials are now available here at LPELC.
In this session, we learn from Dr. Andy King, Iowa State University, about some key lessons for communicating about AMR to diverse audiences. Continue reading “Strategies to Improve Science Communication About Antimicrobial Resistance & Stewardship”
Antimicrobial resistance in livestock production
The national extension team iAMResponsible teaches a multi-university virtual course on antimicrobial resistance across the one health spectrum every spring, some of the course materials are now available here at LPELC.
In this session, we hear from Dr. Doug Call, from Washington State University about the current state of growing AMR in livestock production, and approaches that can be taken to begin to curb the threat. Continue reading “Antimicrobial resistance in livestock production”
Moving Downstream: Antimicrobial Resistance and Stormwater
The national extension team iAMResponsible teaches a multi-university virtual course on antimicrobial resistance across the one health spectrum every spring, some of the course materials are now available here at LPELC.
This session finds Dr. Leigh Anne Krometis, Virginia Tech, introducing us to a new element in the AMR story: stormwater. As it turns out stormwater carries lots of contaminants including AMR bacteria, genes, and antibiotics! Continue reading “Moving Downstream: Antimicrobial Resistance and Stormwater”