Antibiotic resistance in human and animal health
Despite being known since the 60s, antibiotic resistance remains a topic of current interest, with serious consequences (25,000 casualties per year in the EU, and direct and indirect costs estimated around 1.5 billion euros by the Commission).
The National Plan for reducing the risk of antibiotic resistance in veterinary medicine (“EcoAntibio”) was presented by the French Ministry of Agriculture in November 2011 and its objective is twofold:
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to reduce the contribution to bacterial resistance of antibiotics used in veter-inary medicine
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to preserve the effectiveness of AB treatments
The major types of resistance
There are two types of antibiotic resistance: natural or acquired. Some bacteria have a natural resistance programmed into their genome. Other bacteria develop mechanisms to survive antibiotic resistance, it is the acquired resistance. These mechanisms involve either a chromosomal mutation making bacteria less susceptible to an antibiotic, or, more often, the acquisition of a gene of an already resistant bacteria. This is called horizontal transfer of resistance, that can occur between two different bacterial species, and provided by the plasmids of bacteria. Current works on the transfer of antibiotic resistance also focus on the "epidemic plasmid."
There are two types of antibiotic resistance: natural or acquired. Some bacteria have a natural resistance programmed into their genome. Other bacteria develop mechanisms to survive antibiotic resistance, it is the acquired resistance. These mechanisms involve either a chromosomal mutation making bacteria less susceptible to an antibiotic, or, more often, the acquisition of a gene of an already resistant bacteria. This is called horizontal transfer of resistance, that can occur between two different bacterial species, and provided by the plasmids of bacteria. Current works on the transfer of antibiotic resistance also focus on the "epidemic plasmid."
The impact of the transfer of resistance
The transfer of resistance can therefore take place be-tween two different bacterial species but also between different animal species. The environment (water, soil), the animals and humans represent reservoirs of resistant bacteria, which interact and feed the antibiotic resistance phenomenon. The transfer of resistance is also associated with global trade through the diversity of animal and human flows and remains a complex and difficult phenomenon to decipher.
The last 50 years have amplified the phenomenon with the use of AB in human medicine and in farming. In this context the action plan “EcoAntibio” promotes a prudent and rational use of these molecules with the objective of 25% reduction in the veterinary antibiotics consumption over 5 years, including the development of alternatives, so as to safeguard animal health without antibiotics .
Source : Réséda - antibiotic resistance seminar 18 March 2013.
