Veterinary use of antibiotics poses threats, warns agency

The Swissmedic report says that “the trend towards greater use of antibiotics in veterinary medicine continues in Switzerland” and warns that an increasing number of “modern active substances” may also be employed.

Many of these newer drugs are considered as “reserve” antibiotics in human medicine – to be administered when all else fails – and some are not authorized for animals.

“It [the report] shows that antibiotics are a precious group of substances at our disposal and we need to use them more prudently,” said Olivier Flechtner, scientific officer at Swissmedic, the Swiss agency for therapeutic products.

Aimed at understanding an association between increases in sales volumes and the development of antibiotic resistance in veterinary medicine, the survey is the first of its kind in Switzerland.

In 2008, more than 73,000 kilograms of the treatments were purchased, increasing by almost seven per cent (or 4,700 kilos) since 2005 when studies were launched. Much of the increase is accounted for by the meat-producing market.

Marcel Liner, project leader for agricultural politics at Swiss environmental group Pro Natura, isn’t surprised at the increase. “When you consider the pressure on the agriculture sector, on the farmers, then this report is a sign that something is wrong.”

“They are under real stress and in economic trouble and have to process the animals as quickly as possible,” he said.

Despite the current lack of data, experts already have concerns that more checks and balances are required to prevent irresponsible or ignorant use of modern antibiotics.

“In Switzerland we don’t yet have clear guidelines on the prudent use of antibiotics. There are some in place, especially in farm animals,” explained Flechtner.

“But what we are lacking are standard treatment schedules and recommendations, so if you have a coughing sow at a certain weight, then you treat it in a certain way for example.”

Marat Cathy, spokeswoman at the federal veterinary office told Swisster: “When you are using antibiotics you have to record it. So that’s what we can control, but we can’t be on each farm all the time.”

“And it might be that some farmers are using [modern] antibiotics without informing their veterinarians,” she added.

One of the great spectres looming over human medicine for many doctors is that the improper use of antibiotics will trigger a super resistant strain of a killer disease such as tuberculosis, leaving the medical profession toothless.

The same is just as true in the agricultural world, often a breeding ground for many different types of disease with the potential to wipe out livestock and make the crossover to infect humans.

“There is a danger – we know that resistance can be transmitted from pets and farm animals, but exactly how big a risk this is will take more study,” said Flechtner.

“And one shouldn’t forget about transmission possibilities. For instance a pet may react as a reservoir for resistant strains [of some diseases],” he added.

Meanwhile the problem is compounded by recent government research which showed that antibiotics have already contaminated Switzerland’s soil and water, posing a threat to humans.

"The use of antibiotics in livestock production induces antibiotic resistance in bacteria that can then enter the food chain,” Stephan Muller, head of water management at the federal office of the environment, was reported as saying in Swiss News.

In the meantime, more studies are urgently needed says Flechtner. “Next year we are going to publish the report with the federal veterinary office – adding resistance monitoring results. This will give a clearer picture based on figures, whether we can draw some clear conclusions and what improvement can be made on research and monitoring.”

Liner reckons that the pharmaceutical war against disease through the use of antibiotics may be a losing one. “Pro Natura is fighting for an agriculture that is based on an ecological way through organic farming,” he said and cited the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture in Freck, canton Aargau, which has been carrying out an eight-year study on up to 120 dairy herds in throughout the country.

Institute director, Urs Niggli told Swisster: “We have developed a system of prevention in addition with alternative medicine such as homeopathy. The strategy was to bring them down to zero antibiotics which was successful in 30 to 40 per cent of the herds.”

“We optimize the feeding regime and the husbandry so that the animals feel at ease, and we have succeeded in getting a lot of dairy farms to increase milk yield and quality,” Niggli said.

“Basically all the measures are quite cheap. Farmers have to invest a little at the beginning to change the system, but this will save them money in the long run,” he stressed.

“Out next step is to look into reproduction. And we think that we can breed more disease tolerant animals.”