Monday, March 23, 2015

Antibiotic use to increase


Despite calls for bans on using antibiotics as growth promotants, a team of researchers is predicting that the use of animal antibiotics will increase 67 percent by 2030.

The report – “Global trends in antimicrobial use in food animals” – sets the first global map of antibiotic consumption in livestock in 228 countries.

It says the increase will be driven by higher consumer demand for livestock products among middle-income countries and a shift to large-scale farms where antimicrobials are routinely used.

Increased demand for animal protein led to an estimate of total consumption in 2010 of 63,151 tons of antimicrobials, according to the report.

The scientists also project that antimicrobial consumption will nearly double from 2010 levels in Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa by 2030.

The researchers believe that the findings should spark initiatives to preserve antibiotic effectiveness while also ensuring food security in low- and lower-middle-income countries.

China and the United States currently top the list of the most users of animal antibiotic consumption, although the largest projected percentage increases are expected to be seen in Myanmar, Indonesia, Nigeria, Peru and Vietnam over the next 15 years.