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Codex Texts on Foodborne Antimicrobial Resistance

Year of publication 2015

Pages 228 p.

Author Office of Assistant Director-General (Agriculture Department)

Publisher FAO/WHO ;

Product type Book (stand-alone)

ISBN 978-92-5-008610-1

Edition 1

Synopsis (short abstract) Antimicrobial resistance (AMR; also used for “antimicrobial resistant” in this document) is a major global public health concern and a food safety issue. When pathogens become resistant to antimicrobial agents they can pose a greater human health risk as a result of potential treatment failure, loss of treatment options and increased likelihood and severity of disease. Problems related to AMR are inherently related to antimicrobial use in any environment, including human and non-human uses. The use of antimicrobial agents in food producing animals/crops provides a potentially important risk factor for selection and dissemination of AMR microorganisms and determinants from animals/food crops to humans via the consumption of food.

Language Trilingual

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    Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is now recognized as a major global public health problem which has been aggravated by the irrational use of antimicrobial agents in human and animal health as well as the presence of these agents in the environment. AMR in animal pathogens makes disease treatments ineffective, increases the severity of the disease, reduces productivity and leads to economic losses. In addition, more than half the quantity of antimicrobials used in animals/fish is excreted as waste contaminating soil, water and the environment. This also contributes to the emergence and spread of AMR through selection pressure on microorganisms in the environment. Besides, antimicrobial usage (AMU) can lead to presence of antimicrobial residues in edible animal/fish products which could become a public health risk. Understanding the dynamics of AMR and its surveillance can only be done through quality laboratory services. Laboratory-based surveillance is an integral part of Objective 2 of the National Action Plan of India (2017–2021), which was developed in alignment with the Global Action Plan for AMR. The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), with technical assistance from FAO, has established a network of its institutions, the Indian Network for Fishery and Animal Antimicrobial Resistance (INFAAR), to generate nationally representative surveillance data on AMR.
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    Policy brief
    Foodborne antimicrobial resistance (AMR): an economic concern 2023
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    Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is the ability of microorganisms to survive or proliferate in the presence of antimicrobial drugs, posing a significant threat to human and animal health. It increases healthcare and food production costs, and the misuse of antimicrobials exacerbates the problem. Effective stewardship and balancing the trade-offs between financial investments and societal benefits are crucial challenges in addressing AMR. Bacterial resistance to antimicrobials is increasing, with foodborne transmission contributing significantly. Contaminated food accounts for nearly 20% of infections caused by resistant Escherichia coli. The economic burden of foodborne antimicrobial resistance includes productivity losses and premature deaths, estimated at USD 50 billion in 2019. The World Bank projects a decline in global GDP, livestock production, and exports due to AMR by 2050, with potential negative impacts on international trade. In conclusion, AMR represents a genuine societal cost, affecting humans, animals, and plants. Therefore, policies are needed to minimize AMR, strengthen food control systems, support responsible antimicrobial use, and promote data sharing.
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    Meeting
    Joint FAO/OIE/WHO Expert Workshop on Non-Human Antimicrobial Usage and Antimicrobial Resistance: Scientific assessment
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    Antimicrobial agents are essential drugs for human and animal health and welfare. Antimicrobial resistance is a global public health concern that is impacted by both human and non-human antimicrobial usage. Antimicrobial agents are used in food animals, including from aquaculture, companion animals and horticulture to treat or prevent disease. Antimicrobial agents are sometimes used in food animals to promote growth. The types of antimicrobials used are frequently the same as, or closely rela ted to, antimicrobials used in humans.

    The expert workshop concluded that there is clear evidence of adverse human health consequences due to resistant organisms resulting from non-human usage of antimicrobials. These consequences include infections that would not have otherwise occurred, increased frequency of treatment failures (in some cases death) and increased severity of infections, as documented for instance by fluoroquinolone resistant human Salmonella infections. Evidence shows th at the amount and pattern of non-human usage of antimicrobials impact on the occurrence of resistant bacteria in animals and on food commodities and thereby human exposure to these resistant bacteria. The foodborne route is the major transmission pathway for resistant bacteria and resistance genes from food animals to humans, but other routes of transmission exist. There is much less data available on the public health impact of antimicrobial usage in aquaculture, horticulture and companion an imals.
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