Food Crisis Series
Take Heed! African Swine Fever Epidemic Triggers High Antibiotic Residues in Pork
A rush in administering higher antibiotic levels to save stocks from the current ASF outbreak is increasing antibiotic residues in pork and pork products.
Antibiotic residues in the body predisposes us to develop antibiotic resistance, which is now a growing global public health crisis. By the year 2050, some researchers predict that antibiotic resistance will cause 10 million (human) deaths every year, surpassing cancer as the leading cause of mortality worldwide.
Researched by Dr Abe V Rotor
NOTE: Acknowledgement. The following articles are reprints from the Internet. They are very helpful references in disseminating this information to the public.
Drug resistance: Does antibiotic use in animals affect human health?
Published Friday 9 November 2018
By Ana Sandoiu
Fact checked by Jasmin Collier
Antibiotic resistance is a global public health crisis. In this Spotlight feature, we look at the use of antibiotics in animals and its consequences for human health, covering research presented recently at the London Microbiome Meeting.
Crowded farms contribute to disease transmission among animals, which, in turn, boosts the use of antibiotics.
Antibiotic resistance poses a serious threat to public health, both in the United States and globally.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), antibiotic resistance is responsible for 25,000 annual deaths in the European Union and 23,000 annual deaths in the U.S. As many as 2 million U.S. individuals develop a drug-resistant infection each year.
By the year 2050, some researchers predict that antibiotic resistance will cause 10 million (human) deaths every year, surpassing cancer as the leading cause of mortality worldwide.
Some of the factors that have led to this crisis include the overprescription of antibiotics, poor sanitation and hygiene practices in hospitals, and insufficient laboratory tests that can detect an infection quickly and accurately.
An additional factor that may contribute to drug resistance in humans is the overuse of antibiotics in farming and agriculture. Using antibiotics in animals may raise the risk of transmitting drug-resistant bacteria to humans either by direct infection or by transferring "resistance genes from agriculture into human pathogens," researchers caution.
So, how are antibiotics currently being used in animals, and what might be the implications for human health? At the London Microbiome Meeting, which took place in the United Kingdom, Nicola Evans — a doctoral researcher in structural biology at King's College London — shared some of her insights on these issues.
In her presentation, Evans drew from the work she conducted at the U.K. Parliament, which can be read in full here. In this Spotlight feature, we report on the key findings from her talk.
Crowded farms contribute to disease transmission among animals, which, in turn, boosts the use of antibiotics. Pigs raised on large scale piggeries receive higher doses of antibiotics than pigs raised on the backyard. Fortunately at least 80 percent of the country's pig population are raised on the backyard. Crowded farms contribute to disease transmission among animals, which, in turn, boosts the use of antibiotics.
Antibiotic use in animal production, particularly in piggery and poultry, has four main purposes: to treat disease, control disease, prevent disease or increase productivity. However, these uses have also raised a number of public health concerns. These concerns – mainly that antibiotic use in livestock and humans can contribute to the emergence of organisms that are resistant to most or all antibiotics and that antibiotic use leads to difficult-to-treat illness or death in humans and animals – have led to recent calls for policy changes, including restricting or eliminating antibiotics for production use. (FDA)
Cleanup of dead pigs thrown into the Marikina River. Right: thousands of pigs either died, or were killed to contain the disease from spreading, during the current ASF outbreak in China.
Rappler 10
FAST FACTS:
What is African swine fever?
Can African swine fever be transmitted to humans? What is the Philippine government doing to contain the disease? Find out here.
Ralf Rivas
Published 8:50 PM, September 09, 2019
SWINE DEATHS. The Department of Agriculture confirms that African swine fever has caused hog deaths in the Philippines. File photo by Maria Tan/Rappler
MANILA, Philippines– The Department of Agriculture (DA) confirmed that African swine fever (ASF) has caused deaths of hundreds of pigs in several areas in the country.
What are its effects and how will the disease affect the local hog industry?
What is African swine fever?
According to the National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS), ASF is a highly contagious viral disease that affects pigs, warthogs, and boars.
It causes pigs to have high fever and lose their appetite. It also causes hemorrhages in the skin and internal organs.
Death is certain. Pigs die in a span of 2 to 10 days upon affliction. There is no known vaccine against ASF yet.
Which areas are affected?
Agriculture Secretary William Dar said 7 areas in two provinces in Luzon have been affected by ASF. These are:
· Rizal - San Jose, Macabud, San isidro, San Rafael, Mascap, and Cupang in Antipolo
· Bulacan - Guiguinto
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, ASF has severely affected China, Mongolia, Vietnam, Cambodia, some areas in South Korea, Laos, and Myanmar.
ASF outbreaks have been detected in 32 provinces in China. Almost 1.2 million pigs there have been culled in an effort to halt the further spread of the disease.
Can humans get sick?
No. The NMIS said ASF is not considered as a human health threat.
However, humans can become carriers of the virus once tainted pork is ingested or if people get close to the infected meat.
The virus can also survive even if the meat has been processed or canned. ~
Meat treated with antibiotics big health issue Share it!
Updated February 24, 2018, 2:38 PM
By Minerva BC Newman
Cebu City–Ninety-nine percent of poultry and livestock farms in Central Visayas are unregistered and do not have resident veterinarians.
The Department of Agriculture (DA) considers this a serious public concern, according to Dr. Verna Agriam, DA regional office’s regulatory officer, Animal Welfare division.
Agriam told Manila Bulletin there are as many as 10,000 backyard and commercial poultry, piggery and livestock farms in the region, but only one percent is registered.
When poultry or livestock farms are unregistered “we have no way of knowing what kinds of chemicals and other meat disease resistant vaccines and injectables are given to meat, poultry, eggs and other livestock products,” she said.
The inappropriate and irrational use of anti-microbials and antibiotics could lead to the spread of resistant microorganisms, Agriam said.
Anti-microbial resistance residue (AMR) in poultry and meat products is a looming global concern. Most of the AMRs are antibiotics that are mixed in feeds and or injected to pigs, chickens and livestock.
Agriam said more and more doses of antibiotics and other anti-microbial medicines make pigs and chickens resistant to diseases. By 2030 AMR will become a major health problem in the world.
She referred to the disturbing report of the National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System (NARMS) for Enteric Bacteria that illnesses that were once easily treatable with antibiotics are becoming more difficult to cure and more expensive to treat. ~
Antibiotics in meat: 5 facts about residues in food Home » Antibiotics in meat: 5 facts about residues in food
Posted January 13, 2016 Residues In Meat, Microbiological assays,
Antibiotic residues in food have become a hot topic in recent years. There is widespread uncertainty: How dangerous are drug residues to consumers? And how can you be sure that your food is free of residues? 5 questions and answers.
1. How do antibiotics get into the meat?
When farm animals are treated with antibiotics, drug residues settle in the animal’s tissue. Residues end up not only in the meat, but also in other products of animal origin such as milk, eggs and honey. The use of antibiotics on livestock is widespread and often indispensable. By keeping a large number of animals in small spaces, infections may spread quickly. A treatment of sick animals and often also a preventive treatment of the still healthy animals is therefore necessary. However, the use of antibiotics as growth promoter is prohibited.
2. Are antibiotics a health risk?
Antibiotics are essential medicines for the treatment of bacterial infections. However, drug residues in foods may potentially have carcinogenic, toxic or allergenic effects. As long as the maximum residue limits (MRL) are complied with, residues pose only a low risk to the consumer’s health.
3. What does antibiotic resistance mean?
The increasing use of antibiotics leads to more and more resistances. This means that bacteria develop and become insensitive to certain antibiotics. If you come into contact with resistant germs, dangerous and difficult-to-treat infections may occur. In order to protect themselves against resistant germs, consumers should observe certain hygiene measures. For instance, meat should be cooked thoroughly. You can find more tips in a leaflet by the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment.
4. How big a problem are antibiotics in food?
Within the European Union, the use of antibiotics is regulated by the law. In many countries, maximum residue limits have been determined and are checked on a random basis (see EU regulation 37/2010). When animals are treated with antibiotics, a waiting period is required before slaughter. As a result of these strict controls, the discovery of large quantities of antibiotics in meat has become rare. Mostly, antibiotics are found in low quantities in poultry and pork. Beef or other animal products such as milk, eggs and honey rarely contain residues.
5. How are antibiotic residues detected?
Antibiotic residues in food can be detected in several ways. An ELISA test allows a precise quantification of certain antibiotics. By performing a sample preparation using immuno-affinity columns and a subsequent HPCL test, even complex matrices can be analyzed. The Premi Test is a microbial rapid test. In this test, a population of bacteria is added to the sample. Based on the growth of the bacteria, you can see whether the sample contains antibiotics or not. This method allows an easy and cost-effective screening for a wide range of antibiotics. In addition, this test can be performed directly on-site at the breeder, at the slaughterhouse or at meat plants.
Furthermore, antibiotic residues can also be detected in bovine and porcine urine. In that case, the reagent Premi®Test Urine must be added to the urine sample. After that step, the Premi®Test can be carried out regularly. The Premi®Test Urine will be available from February 2016 in a new format, making the screening for antibiotic residues in urine even easier. ~
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