Antibiotic use in animal husbandry dangerous to children's health

US pediatricians warn of risks from antibiotic use in livestock farming
Overuse of antibiotics in livestock farming poses a significant threat to children's health, the alert said in a recent report by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). The current practice of antibiotic use in animal husbandry is already contributing to the development of increased resistance. As a result, life-threatening infections in children can sometimes no longer be treated, warns the AAP.

The identified link between production uses of antibiotics in agriculture and antimicrobial resistance is alarming, experts say. Especially for infants and children but also for other vulnerable groups such as pregnant women and the elderly there is an increased risk of serious infections with resistant pathogens. The AAP therefore sharply criticized the usual administration of antibiotics in healthy livestock for growth purposes. Through this practice, antibiotics would be ineffective if they are needed to treat infections in humans.

The use of antibiotics in animal husbandry represents a significant risk to the health of children. (Image: Comugnero Silvana / fotolia.com)

Random use of antibiotics
According to the AAP, more than two million Americans annually become infected with antibiotic-resistant bacteria and more than 23,000 people die of these infections. The highest incidence of such infections was observed in 2013 in children under the age of five. Through contact with the animals, but also over contaminated meat children could become infected. The infections with the multidrug-resistant pathogens are often very difficult to treat. The indiscriminate use of antibiotics without prescriptions or advice from a veterinarian represents a significant risk to the health of children.

Given the large amount of antibiotics that are given to livestock each year, the increased development of resistance is not surprising. In addition, the resistant bacteria could spread in the environment and form reservoirs of resistant strains that allow for further expansion of resistance, reports the AAP. A containment of the use of antibiotics in animals is therefore urgently needed. However, the resistance of the agricultural and agricultural industries must be overcome for this, admonish the experts of the AAP. (Fp)