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| The human and animal health impact of European Union ban on growth promoting antibiotics discussed in a new Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy article. Antibiotic growth promoters are now thought to have important prophylactic activity in food animals, according to a group of human and veterinary microbiology experts studying the effects of the European Union's ban on such products. This new information is based on reports of deteriorating animal health following their withdrawal on European farms. Further, the experts say that although the intent of the antibiotic growth promoter ban was to protect human health, it has actually had little benefit. According to the experts, the animal health risks and potentially adverse human health consequences of the banning of antibiotic growth promoters need to be carefully considered before the banning of the remaining growth promoters used in the European Union. A copy of the article “The European ban on growth-promoting antibiotics and emerging consequences for human and animal health” is now available online in the peer-reviewed Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy, one of the foremost international journals in antimicrobial research. The article appeared in the Journal on Aug. 1. To view the Abstract online, visit the Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy web site at http://jac.oupjournals.org/papbyrecent.shtml. The full article is available to subscribers. ABSTRACT OF THE ARTICLE: Following the ban of all food animal growth promoting antibiotics by Sweden in 1986, the European Union banned avoparcin in 1997, and bacitracin, spiramycin, tylosin and virginiamycin in 1999. Three years later, the only attributable effect in humans has been a diminution in acquired resistance in enterococci isolated from human faecal carriers. There has been an increase in human infection from vancomycin-resistant enterococci in Europe, probably related to the increase in usage of vancomycin for the treatment of methicillin-resistant staphylococci. The ban of growth promoters has, however, revealed that these agents had important prophylactic activity and their withdrawal is now associated with a deterioration in animal health, including increased diarrhea, weight loss and mortality due to E.coli and Lawsonia intracellularis in early post-weaning pigs, and clostridial necrotic enteritis in broilers. A directly attributable effect of these infections is the increase in usage of therapeutic antibiotics in food animals, including that of tetracycline, aminoglycosides, trimethoprim/sulphonamide, macrolides and lincosamides, all of which are of direct importance in human medicine. The theoretical and political benefit of the widespread ban of growth promoters needs to be more carefully weighed against the increasingly apparent adverse consequences. CO-AUTHORS: Mark Casewell, University of London, London U.K.; Christian Friis, Royal Veterinary and Agriculture University, Copenhagen, Denmark; Enric Marco, B & M Consulting, Barcelona, Spain; Paul McMullin, Poultry Health Services Ltd, Thirsk, North Yorkshire, U.K.; and Ian Phillips, University of London, London U.K. (The review was prepared independently by these authors following a meeting sponsored by Elanco Animal Health.) Professor Ian Lean applauds new Australian research. A note to journalists about the use of Professor Ian Lean as a spokesperson. You can find out more about Ian Lean on his corporate pages. The full (337 page) report is available here. The recent release from McDonalds is here. |