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The unregulated and often unnecessary use of antibiotics in food producing animals in many low- and middle-income countries helps to increase the incidence of antibiotic resistance. This shows Gunilla Ström Hallenberg of SLU in a thesis where field work was carried out on pig farmers on the outskirts of Phnom Penh in Cambodia.
Antibiotics are used in animal production around the world to treat and prevent disease in food producing animals, as well as in many cases to accelerate the growth of animals. In many low- and middle-income countries, the sale of antibiotics is not regulated, which often leads to inappropriate and unnecessary use of antibiotics, which in turn helps to increase antibiotic resistance.
In her doctoral work at the SLU, Gunilla Ström Hallenberg notably studied the use of antibiotics in pig farms in the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh, as well as the presence of antibiotic resistance in bacteria. Common intestinal pigs breeding.
Unregulated use allows resistance
In interviews with pig farmers, it was found that almost everyone was using antibiotics in their hog production and that breeders often decided on the type of antibiotics to use, adjusting both the dosage and the duration of treatment depending on the health status of the pigs and their speed of healing.
"This type of unregulated and often unnecessary antibiotic use leads in many cases to increased bacterial selection pressure, which can lead to an increase in the number of bacteria developing resistance not only to the antibiotics used, but also to Other similar antibiotics, "said Gunilla Ström Hallenberg.
Antibiotic resistance was common in pigs and 79% of bacteria were classified as multidrug-resistant, that is, resistant to three or more classes of antibiotics. It was also found that antibiotic resistance was more common in farms where pigs were treated preventively and where the entire crew was treated for signs of disease.
Difficult to take care of the manure
In addition to the use of antibiotics, Gunilla Ström Hallenberg has investigated the risks posed by urban dwellers. When animals and people live in close proximity, the risk of infection between animals and humans increases. The handling of manure is also a major problem in these areas, as poor manure management can cause the spread of bacteria, parasites and other microorganisms present in the manure and thus infect humans.
"In these areas, access to agricultural land is often limited, which means that there is no good way to get rid of the fertilizer." According to Gunilla Ström Hallenberg, many conservatives are simply choosing to dump fertilizers into the environment instead of moving them to farmland elsewhere.
Nearly half of the gravel holders around Phnom Penh were reported to dump pork dung in the surrounding area, which was more common in households without access to agricultural land and in those where did not know that diseases could spread between animals and humans. Since fertilizers can also contain antibiotic-resistant bacteria, resistance genes, and antibiotic residues, poorly managed fertilizers can also pose a risk of increasing antibiotic resistance and spreading them.
"Targeted information campaigns, combined with disease prevention measures and a regional or national fertilizer management plan, can lead to the improvements needed to enable livestock management in urban areas in the future." countries like Cambodia, "says Gunilla Ström Hallenberg.
A more popular written summary in Swedish is available on pages 89 to 90 of the thesis.
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agronomist Gunilla Ström Hallenberg, Department of Clinical Sciences, defended his doctoral thesis Livestock production in urban Cambodia – Socio-economic benefits and risks to public health at SLU in Uppsala on 23 November 2018. The opponent was Professor Anders Dalsgaard of the University of Copenhagen.
More information
Gunilla Ström Hallenberg
Department of Clinical Sciences
Sveriges lantbruksuniversitet, Uppsala
018-67 11 82, [email protected]
Link to the thesis (pdf)
https://pub.epsilon.slu.se/15713/
Press photos
(May be published free of charge as part of articles on this press release.The photographer must be informed.)
A significant proportion of households (60%) thought that primary support was one of the most important sources of income. Photo: Gunilla Ström Hallenberg
Nearly half (45%) of the households surveyed had not heard of antibiotic resistance. Photo: Gunilla Ström Hallenberg
The study was conducted in family farms, mainly small farms. Photo: Gunilla Ström Hallenberg
Inaccurate knowledge and lack of agricultural land make problem management problematic. Manipulating and transporting manure safely often leads to high costs for households. Photo: Gunilla Ström Hallenberg
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