Ghent University: Web app to measure antibiotic usage in poultry farms
Published:June 1, 2011
Source :World Poultry
Belgium's Ghent University launched a new web application allowing livestock producers and veterinarians to measure levels of antibiotic usage on the farms - and how to compare this to peers, Flemish agricultural website Vilt reports.
The new web application, called ABcheck, will contain a wide range of background information about antibiotic use and antibioitic resistance in animals.
Professor Jeroen Dewulf commented, "Using these data, it is possible to advise producers and veterinarians about a rational and reduced use of antibioitics." Dewulf constructed the application in cooperation with researchers Davy Persoons and Merel Postma.
Resistance
At the moment, data around usage of antibiotics are only sparsely available. Nevertheless, the use of antibioitics is widely discussed as both in humans and in livestock, resistance to antibiotics is being observed to grow. Dewulf said, "This is mainly relevant for pathogens in the animals, but it may also apply to humans as resistant pathogens or their genes may be transferred from animals to humans."
Especially in Europe, it is feared that decreasing amounts of antibiotics will be available that can adequately treat humans and animals. Hence, the reduction of the use of antibiotics and a prudent use of available products is considered extremely important in both animals as humans. The researchers commented, "With this tool, we'd like to provide the opportunity to everyone who is interested, to anonymously quantify, qualify and compare usage with other livestock production sites."
The website fits into a project which is called ‘Reduction of antibiotic usage'. Experts analyse farm problems in pig and poultry facilities and can thus give very specific advices. Dewulf said, "On the one hand we'd like to step up any farm's health, biosecurity and production levels, and on the other the usage of antibiotics will be less needed."
Thank you for the news. The use of antibiotics in poultry is a real problem for us, which can cause human health implications . So we would be happy to take advantage of the information presented by the Web
Dr Jaydip.
India needs more professionals like you. Education needs to focus on veterinarians, zootechnical people and nutritionists. For international trade it is imporant to avoid antibiotics in prophylactic purposes.
Dr Jaydip, thanks for the excellent intervention,
Kind regards,
Catharina Berge
Interesting the Web app to measure antibiotic usage in poultry farms. I am very proud to be associated to the veterinary group at Ghent University that are working on antibiotic useage and its consequences. A key to minimizing use is to work directly with farmers to evaluate the animal health effects of not using antibiotics and finding alternative pathways to animal health. No farmer wants to use antibiotics, unless he/she has to. As Dr Henrik Wegener of Denmark so succinctly has stated 'Prophylactic antibiotics are not treating sick animals but treating a sick management system'. The key is therefore to assist producers in optimizing their management system.
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Dr Muhammad Yousaf
24 de junio de 2011
no doubt we have limited drugs to use in poultry production.now if we mis-use these then we will face to much.mostly people do this due to lack of knowledge.this will be a wonderful job.
Thank you for this interested subject ,every vet interested to minimise using antibiotics in poultry The most important point that majority of Bacterial inf is considered as secondery bacterial inf .after stress factors either managemetal or viral inf. So it is very important to control these factors like MYCOPLASMOSIS,IB,pneumo virus ...etc Sometimes we have to use antibiotics with limited range specialy in our area poor water quality ,dry weather,heat stress or very cold in winter The most critical using of antibiotic is in commercial production layers which dayly lying eggs @going for human consumption ,then we have to spoil these eggs during using antibiotics In broilers easy to limit sence marketing age is 4 to 5 weeks maximum, but in layers ages can reach more than 85 weeks we tried probiotics ,but no encouraging results Best regards Dr. Mustafa A .Aziz
Kind Attn:Dr. Anant Deshpande,
Dear Sir,
First of all lot of thanks to this forum to meet us again after pune meet.
Also thanks for providing us such a wonderful platform to share our views & ideas for the well being of Society as well as industry too.
I have confident that if every veterinarian will stick up with the alternatives of Antibiotics with all pros & cons then & then only our motto will be achieved.
Please refer the recent news from South Korea on Antibiotic rules & regulations
South Korea to ban antibiotics in animal feed
//03 Jun 2011
South Korea in planning to impose a total ban on the mixing of antibiotics with animal feed effective from July, Yonhap news agency reported quoted the government as a source.
It is hoped that the move will heighten consumer trust in the satefy of livestock products.
“The government will impose a total ban on the addition of antibiotics to animal feed by revising rules governing animal feed production,” the farm industry said. “The new rules will enhance the safety of local meat and dairy products.”
Prior to 2005 South Korea had allowed 44 varieties of antibiotics to be mixed with feed, but gradually decreased the number when scientists warned of serious side effects of giving livestock too many antibiotics.
Under the revised rules the use of 8 varieties of antibiotics will be prohibited, along with one antimicrobial agent, the ministry said.
The ministry also stressed that once the law comes into effect violations will be dealt with sternly.
Veterinarians will still be permitted to inject antibiotics into sick animals.
Regards,
Dr Jaydip
Sincere thanks to all those persons associated with the veterinary group at Ghent University those are working on antibiotic usage and its consequences. Developed countries have already established policies and regulations in this respect however, in countries like India where even human antibiotics are available over the counter without the prescriptions this is going to be a big challenge. I am happy that now at least some actions are being initiated in this direction but, we have a long way to go. The results can come in faster only if all the veterinarians in poultry industry realize the seriousness of the issue. Fortunately for past couple year’s poultry breeder farmers have had good returns and that has helped in convincing them to use alternative products like pro-biotic and acidifiers. One thing which I would like to appeal to all my veterinarian friends through this forum is that please educate the farmers in using the correct dosage of these alternative products. Many times on account of higher costs of these products, they are under used and hence do not give the desired results which will lead to losing the faith in these products and farmers will again go back to the anti-biotic usage. I would also like to thank Dr. Jaydip for giving the detail information about the Indian government’s role in this regard. Dr. Anant Deshpande
Dear All,
Everybody should be proud to be associated to the veterinary group at Ghent University Belgium that are working on antibiotic usage and its consequences.
The major concern & area for using the antibiotics like water in INDIA are commercial broiler farming & dairy farming & those uses are mainly without knowing the pharmacology & physiological action of those antibiotics Viz. mode of action, withdrawal period etc which results in the residual effects of the same on human health. To overcome those problems & control the usage of antibiotics i wish to share below thoughts with all veterinarians..
1) every veterinarian should be follow the Veterinary Oath & try to stick up with the same 100%
2) Educate the peoples involved in the animal husbandry practices up to the optimum level of understanding on the impact of antibiotics on human & animal health.
3) Instead of antibiotics promote the usage of Prebiotics , Probiotics & ayurvedic preparations to check the harmful micro flora.
4) Tighten the bio security at each & every farm & make public awareness on the same.
5) Indian government also planning to ban some antibiotics which are harmful & reference for the same pasted below.
INDIA - The Government is to introduce a cap on the use of antibiotics and ban some products altogether in poultry, shrimp and fish during production in order to tackle the problem of antibiotic resistance in human pathogens
Antibiotic shots used at will to make chickens fatter or shrimps bigger will be regulated soon, reports Times of India.
For the first time, National Policy for Containment of Antimicrobial Resistance has put a cap on how much antibiotics can be pumped into seafood or poultry products, including shrimps, prawns or fish and fishery products.
The policy has named common antibiotics like tetracycline, oxytetracycline, trimethoprim and oxolinic acid, and clearly mentioned it 'shall not exceed the prescribed tolerance limit'. The use of over 20 antibiotics or pharmacologically active substances has been prohibited in seafood and poultry products.
Professor Randeep Guleria from AIIMS, a part of the task force, said: "Antibiotics are used by farmers to prevent infection in fish or poultry. However, until now, there was no limitation. We didn't want such fish or meat to enter the food chain and lead to the emergence of antibiotic resistance in humans who eat it. That's why we have fixed limits."
Dr Ranjit Roychoudhury, a task force member and one of India's best known clinical pharmacologists, added: "Poultry are fattened and fish are made bigger by pumping antibiotics and hormones for better price. Eating such products on a regular basis can cause antibiotic resistance in humans."
India is also putting in place a 'bad bug house' – a national repository of bacterial strains that will house drug-resistant strains, including molecular components like DNA/plasmids, according to Times of India.
Dr Roychoudhury added: "We don't have a national repository of standard bacterial strains required for quality control or comparison when new bugs appear. Institute of Microbial technology (IMTECH), Chandigarh, has the requisite infrastructure and expertise."
Dr Guleria said: "Once we have a national repository, we can carry out genetic studies on strains, know where they came from, what their weaknesses are and how they can be eliminated."
According to the policy, about 80 per cent of antibiotics are used in the community and the rest are used in hospitals. It is estimated that 20 to 50 per cent of all antibiotics use in India is inappropriate, resulting in an increased risk of adverse side-effects, higher costs of therapy and higher rate of antimicrobial resistance of community pathogen. The policy has also called for the setting up of a national technical advisory group on development of newer antimicrobials.
No new antibiotics have been discovered for years. On the other hand, bacteria strains are being found that are resistant to the latest generation of antibiotics.
"That's why this group will work with prominent research institutes to develop newer antimicrobials," Dr Roychoudhury said.
Another Drug and Therapeutics Committee (DTC) will fix criteria for the approval of new drugs. It may decide to keep a maximum of three brands of an approved generic. DTC can also ban the use of few harmful drugs like phenylpropanolamine (PPA) and nimesulide in the hospital. The committee can also remove few irrational fixed dose combinations from the hospital drug list. These combinations include the fixed dose combination of ampicillin with cloxacillin, amoxicillin with cloxacillin. Hospital DTC will also develop the over-the-counter drug list for the hospital.
The Times of India article concludes that over-use, under-use and misuse of antimicrobials remain a worldwide hazard – over 15 billion injections per year, half unsterile, many unnecessary, 25 to 75 per cent of antibiotic prescriptions inappropriate, 50 per cent of people worldwide fail to take medicines correctly. All over the world, 30 to 60 per cent of PHC patients receive antibiotics, which may be twice as high as it may be clinically required.
Lets unite together globally to make this program successful.
Thanks & regards,
Dr. Jaydip
USE OF AGPS HAS A MAJOR ROLE IN ANIMAL INDUSTRY AND IT IS ONE OF THE FIRST MANAGEMENT PROTOCOL FOR DISEASE PREVENTION. THE FARMING ENVIRONMENT IS NOT A STERILE ONE SO AS TO AVOID PATHOGENS. DISEASES HAS BEEN A BATTLE TO FIGHT AND WE CANNOT WIN OVER IT,,H5N1 HAS SHOWN THE TWIST N TURN AND MORE RESEARCH HAS BEEN DONE, THAN EDWARD JENNER DID TO INVENT POX VACCINE.
I APPRECIATE RESEARCH DONE FOR THE FAMILY OF PRODUCERS ,AND YES CONCEPT OF ORGANIC FARMING IS BEEN DEVELOPED.FARMERS ARE NOW MORE EDUCATED AND ARE ABLE TO TACKLE THE SICK MANAGEMENT WITH THE OPEN KNOWLEDGE. AND IMPROVE HUSBANDRY PRACTICES.
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