Department of Agriculture Q&A on antimicrobial resistance
With news of a new strain of superbug raising concern among the general public about the spread of harmful bacteria to an all-time high, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine has been among the first to react.
Last week’s Farming publication carried the first of a two-part Q&A with the department on what measures people can take to be vigilant against antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
Below is the second part of that Q&A.
The Department of Agriculture, food and Marine has recognised that antimicrobial resistance is both a public health and animal health concern.
With regard to preserving the therapeutic efficacy of antimicrobials in animals it continues to promote the policy of disease prevention, and the prudent use of antimicrobials when necessary.
The Department works to heighten awareness and understanding of antimicrobial resistance through effective communication and education, and to encourage best practices amongst the veterinary and farming professions, as well as engaging with industry stakeholders to highlight the need for availability of effective antibiotics for the future, as well as other alternative disease treatment options.
In relation to surveillance, the Department has been collating data to monitor AMR development and spread for several years in line with EU Directives.
There is a move towards the collection of harmonised data, in particular in relation to zoonotic pathogens (disease agents that transmit naturally between animals and humans), and DAFM has been working to meet the annual EU requirements with regard to surveillance in animals and food.
In relation to the collection of antibiotic consumption data at veterinary practice or farm level, the Department is reviewing practices in other countries before deciding on a feasible collection method for Ireland.
There was a pilot project carried out to collect data on antibiotic usage at farm level in the pig sector.
The Department, as the regulator of veterinary medicines, has oversight of the regulatory framework, and a responsibility to ensure compliance with national legislation in relation to the supply, distribution and administration of veterinary medicines.
Officials from DAFM carry out veterinary practice and farm inspections to examine prescribing practices, supply, and usage of antimicrobials.
Legislation only permits the prescribing of antibiotics by a registered veterinary practitioner for animals under his /her care.
Antibiotics can only be supplied on foot of a veterinary prescription, and in the case of food animals specific records are required to be kept.
The key messages, firstly of Disease Prevention, and secondly of Prudent Use of Antimicrobials, in tandem with continued Surveillance of AMR and antibiotic consumption are central to the Department’s AMR strategy.
All antimicrobials are essential treatment tools for human and animal health and welfare.
Both the human and animal sectors have a shared responsibility to prevent or reduce the development and spread of antimicrobial resistance.
Therefore, it was agreed that both the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) would both develop a list of critically important antimicrobials for human and veterinary medicine.
These lists rank the antimicrobials according to their relative importance in both human and veterinary medicine, and provide guidance when developing risk management strategies for use of these of these particular classes of antimicrobials and preserving their efficacy.
The use of these lists will help preserve the efficacy of these medicines, which are in some cases ‘last resort’ treatments in human medicine.
Particular classes of antibiotics such as Flouroquinolones, third and fourth generation cephalosporins, and macrolides have been classed as being of highest risk priority by the WHO and should not be used for first line treatment.
Carbapenems, lipopeptides and oxazolidinones currently have no veterinary equivalent and the WHO recommends that these classes as well as any new class of antimicrobial developed for human treatment should not be used in veterinary medicine.
The latest list published by the OIE states that both Flouroquinolones and third and fourth generation cephalosporins are critically important for both human and animal health and should not be used as a preventive treatment in the absence of clinical signs of disease.
The OIE also recommends that in relation to both classes, they should only to be used as a second line treatment and this should be on the basis of sensitivity testing.
This criteria has also been included in the product datasheets and authorisations which have been amended to take account of AMR concerns.
