Chinese researchers are trying to convince poultry-, pig- and shrimp-farmers to replace antibiotics with traditional Chinese medicines to fight bacterial and viral infections.
Since the avian flu and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome hit Asia and damaged economies in the region, antibiotics have played a prominent role in the control of animal pathogens, said Jeffrey Tze-Fei Wong, director of the Applied Genomics Laboratory of Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. But continued use of antibiotics in animal husbandry can leave residues in animals and create antibiotic-resistant bacteria, all of which can affect the health of consumers.
Instead of resorting to antibiotics, Wong said, China used a protein extracted from Chinese oak silkworms and herbal medicines during the epidemic .
"Herbal medicines have a long history and are popular in Asia. They produce few or no side effects unlike some Western medicines," he said. But many herbs are relatively expensive, and transportation over long distances would be costly for Thai livestock-farmers, he said.
"It is recommended that herbal formulas for large-scale application in Thailand should be selected from herbs that are easily and cheaply cultivated in the Kingdom to ensure an abundant supply," said Wong.
A source in the shrimp-farming business said the protein extracted from Chinese silkworms and herbal drugs might have side-effects on the animals and would require testing.
