Alarming levels of antibiotic resistance found in the poultry environment

NewsVoir

New Delhi (India), May 9: This World Poultry Day brings with it a new study that highlights the alarming levels of resistance genes to medically important antibiotics in the poultry environment.

In a joint research report “Poultry’s pill problem; Antibiotics and its environmental concerns” published by Toxics Link and World Animal Protection, high levels of antimicrobial resistance genes (ARG) were found in 11 of 14 samples collected from poultry farms in the states of Tamil Nadu and India . Andhra Pradesh.

The study analyzed 14 poultry manure and groundwater samples from the above-mentioned 6 poultry farms, indicating an alarming presence of ARGs against 15 major antibiotics, including glycopeptides, carbapenems and macrolides.

Toxics Link also conducted both offline and online surveys that revealed that poultry farmers are using antibiotics indiscriminately due to a general lack of awareness and understanding of the potential consequences. Despite the Bureau of Indian Standards’ recommendation not to use antibiotic growth promoters (AGPs) in poultry feed, these remain available in the market and are used by poultry farmers. Incidentally, Colistin, a last resort antibiotic for treating multi-drug resistant infections, which was banned by the Union Health Ministry in 2019 for use in food-producing animals, is still being sold through online platforms.

ARGs are genetic facilitators of AMR that cause bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites to no longer respond to antimicrobial drugs. Although naturally occurring, ARGs in the environment have increased in recent years due to anthropogenic activities leading to overuse and misuse of antimicrobials in various sectors. This has meant that diseases such as pneumonia, gonorrhea, postoperative infections, HIV, tuberculosis and malaria have become increasingly untreatable. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), at least seven million people die every year from drug-resistant diseases, including more than two million people who die from multidrug-resistant tuberculosis.

India is responsible for 3% of the global consumption of antimicrobials in food animals and has one of the highest rates of Intensity of Antimicrobial Use (AMU) in the livestock sector. As the country intensifies its livestock farming practices to tackle food insecurity, concerns are growing over the emergence of the poultry sector as a new hotspot for antimicrobial resistance (AMR). AMR can spread through several routes, including contact with animals or their products and contaminated food, increasing the risk of infection for veterinarians, farmers and food handlers. Even waste from poultry farms, such as litter used as fertilizer in agriculture or feed in aquaculture, can cause the spread of AMR across different sectors.

Gajendra Sharma of World Animal Protection explains: “Poor husbandry practices, especially in poultry farming, have contributed significantly to the overuse of antibiotics. Farmers often administer antibiotics preventively and to treat diseases, resulting in high levels of antibiotic residues in both food products and waste. the root cause of antibiotic misuse in the livestock sector, especially the poultry sector, is critical to controlling and reducing AMR. World Animal Protection strongly advocates the effective integration and implementation of animal welfare into national and state action plans to combat AMR now to protect the health and well-being of animals, people and the planet.”

In 2015, the World Health Assembly adopted a Global Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance to optimize antimicrobial use, increase awareness, reduce the incidence of infections, and build sustainable practices consistent with reducing overall antimicrobial use. As a result, India also developed its own action plan on AMR in 2017, focusing on establishing surveillance networks to monitor antibiotic use across sectors.

According to Dr. Vijay Pal Singh, Chief Technical Officer at CSIR-IGIB and Associate Professor at ASIR said, “The findings of the current study provide evidence for the use of antibiotics in poultry and its role in the increasing trends of AMR. I suggest that there is a need to work closely with all stakeholders and develop good protocols and control measures to stop this AMR trend.”

Commenting on this study, Satish Sinha, Associate Director of Toxics Link, said: “India is highly vulnerable to risks associated with AMR and there is a need to review the implementation of the National Action Plan. The country needs to identify potential hotspots, implement robust monitoring and surveillance systems to limit the overuse of antibiotics in all sectors and implement environmentally sound waste and wastewater management practices.”

Key highlights of the research are given below:

1. The number of identified ARGs ranged from 7,914 to 1,592 genes.

2. Manure samples in Coimbatore contained the highest amount of ARGs compared to both samples in Vijayawada (borewell samples and manure).

3. Multidrug resistance Genes constituted 25%-45% of all ARGs isolated in the samples, followed by glycopeptide, peptide, tetracycline, aminoglycoside, and macrolides.

4. Identified ARGs were against fifteen antimicrobials included in the new WHO list of medically important antimicrobials, three of which were carbapenems, glycopeptides and mupirocin-like antimicrobials.

5. Bacteria pathogenic to both humans and poultry, Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae, were found in manure samples, raising concerns about the development of drug-resistant zoonotic pathogens.

Survey results

1. The poultry feed available to farmers is unregulated and unlabelled.

2. Farmers were largely unaware of the risk associated with AMR, the withdrawal period and the Pollution Control Board guidelines relating to poultry farms.

3. Critical Antimicrobials promoted to promote growth were found in online stores despite recommendations and regulations against them, for example Tylosin.

4. Colistin, which was banned for use in animals in 2018, is still sold as a growth promoter in online animal product stores.

World Animal Protection has been moving the world to protect animals for more than 55 years. With offices in 13 countries, we work to give animals a better life. The organisation’s activities include working with businesses to ensure high welfare standards for the animals in their care; work with governments and other stakeholders to prevent the cruel trafficking, capture or killing of wildlife; and working towards better treatment of farm animals.

Through research, advocacy and public awareness campaigns, World Animal Protection strives to promote a world where animals are treated with compassion and dignity, and their needs are integrated into all aspects of human life, towards a future where animals are valued and protected .

Toxic link

Toxics Link is a Delhi-based environmental research and advocacy organization, founded in 1996, engaged in disseminating information to help strengthen the campaign against toxic pollution, provide cleaner alternatives and unite groups and people affected by this problem to bring.

Toxics Link has unique expertise in hazardous, medical and municipal waste, international waste trade and the emerging issues of pesticides, persistent organic pollutants (POPs), hazardous heavy metal contamination, etc. from an environmental and public health perspective. We have successfully implemented various best practices and policy changes in the above-mentioned areas, besides creating awareness among various stakeholder groups.

For more information, read the report: www.worldanimalprotection.org.in/siteassets/

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