Antimicrobial Resistance: Global Progress in the Responsible Use of Antibiotics in Animals

The third report from the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) reveals a more responsible use of antimicrobials in animals worldwide. The situation has improved, both in terms of regulation and monitoring. According to the findings of the annual data collection conducted in 155 countries from 2015 to 2017, the WOAH’s recommendations on the proper use of antibiotics and the fight against antimicrobial resistance have generally been heeded… although much remains to be done.   The WOAH launched a global database on antimicrobial agents intended for use in animals in October 2015. Each year, it is updated by the countries that have chosen to contribute to it. For its third report, a record number of 155 countries participated, reflecting a growing international awareness of the problem of antimicrobial resistance. The goal is to strengthen each country’s capacity to collect data from national surveillance programs. The WOAH advocates for the responsible use of antibiotics and other veterinary medicinal products that are important for animal health and animal production. One of its key recommendations is to phase out the use of critically important antibiotics for promoting growth in farm animals . In this regard, an improvement has been noted. This practice has declined in about 15 additional countries compared to the previous report (falling from 60 countries using them to 45). However, essential antimicrobials such as colistin —classified by the World Health Organization (WHO) as “critically important”—continue to be used as growth promoters in several regions of the world. This practice compromises the effectiveness of many antibiotics, both in animals and in humans. Nevertheless, the trend remains positive: while 72 countries still lack a regulatory framework governing the use of growth promoters , about 40 others have implemented regulations to govern this use—and, more generally, the use of antimicrobials—since the database’s first report. As a result, significant measures have already been taken, such as the establishment of surveillance systems and the monitoring of usage, in both human health and animal health. There is still a long way to go. This begins with the data collection process in many countries, which faces several obstacles due to a lack of adequate tools and human resources, or because of a lack of coordination and collaboration among national authorities, both internally and with the private sector. Nevertheless, each year, more and more countries are able to report not only qualitative but also quantitative data on the use of antimicrobials (a 32% increase in quantitative data since the first data collection ). Thus, significant progress has indeed been made, but much remains to be done in the fight against antimicrobial resistance. For this reason, the involvement of all stakeholders is required—from veterinarians to livestock farmers, as well as government agencies and agri-food industry players.