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Drivers, Dynamics and Epidemiology of Antimicrobial Resistance In animal production











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    Meeting
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    Joint FAO/OIE/WHO Expert Workshop on Non-Human Antimicrobial Usage and Antimicrobial Resistance: Scientific assessment
    Geneva, December 1 – 5, 2003
    2003
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    Antimicrobial agents are essential drugs for human and animal health and welfare. Antimicrobial resistance is a global public health concern that is impacted by both human and non-human antimicrobial usage. Antimicrobial agents are used in food animals, including from aquaculture, companion animals and horticulture to treat or prevent disease. Antimicrobial agents are sometimes used in food animals to promote growth. The types of antimicrobials used are frequently the same as, or closely rela ted to, antimicrobials used in humans.

    The expert workshop concluded that there is clear evidence of adverse human health consequences due to resistant organisms resulting from non-human usage of antimicrobials. These consequences include infections that would not have otherwise occurred, increased frequency of treatment failures (in some cases death) and increased severity of infections, as documented for instance by fluoroquinolone resistant human Salmonella infections. Evidence shows th at the amount and pattern of non-human usage of antimicrobials impact on the occurrence of resistant bacteria in animals and on food commodities and thereby human exposure to these resistant bacteria. The foodborne route is the major transmission pathway for resistant bacteria and resistance genes from food animals to humans, but other routes of transmission exist. There is much less data available on the public health impact of antimicrobial usage in aquaculture, horticulture and companion an imals.

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    Meeting
    Meeting document
    Antimicrobial use in aquaculture and antimicrobial resistance. Report of a Joint FAO/OIE/WHO Expert Consultation on Antimicrobial Use in Aquaculture and Antimicrobial Resistance
    Seoul, Republic of Korea, 13-16 June 2006
    2006
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    The public health hazards related to antimicrobial use in aquaculture include the development and spread of antimicrobial resistant bacteria and resistance genes, and the occurrence of antimicrobial residues in products of aquaculture. The greatest potential risk to public health associated with antimicrobial use in aquaculture is thought to be the development of a reservoir of transferable resistance genes in bacteria in aquatic environments from which such genes can be disseminated by horizont al gene transfer to other bacteria and ultimately reach human pathogens. However, a quantitative risk assessment on antimicrobial resistance in aquaculture is difficult to perform owing to lack of data and the many different and complex pathways of gene flow.
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    Brochure, flyer, fact-sheet
    Brochure
    FAO initiatives on prevention and control of antimicrobial resistance
    Addressing antimicrobial usage in Asia’s livestock production industry
    2018
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    This brochure describes a FAO-USAID project with outcomes expected to include regular information and early warning from countries in the region against potential, known and emerging threats; reduced risk and vulnerability at household and community level; and, countries and regions affected by the abuse (AMU) and subsequent prevalence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), prepare for and manage effective responses.

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    Technical study
    Improving biosecurity through prudent and responsible use of veterinary medicines in aquatic food production 2012
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    The current trend towards increasing intensification and diversification of global aquaculture has lead to its dramatic growth, thus making aquaculture an important food-producing sector that provides an essential source of aquatic protein for a growing human population. For both developed and developing countries, the sector is recognized as creator of jobs and an important source of foreign export earnings. The expansion of commercial aquaculture, as is the case in commercial livestock and pou ltry production, has necessitated the routine use of veterinary medicines to prevent and treat disease outbreaks due to pathogens, assure healthy stocks and maximize production. The expanded and occasionally irresponsible global movements of live aquatic animals have been accompanied by the transboundary spread of a wide variety of pathogens that have sometimes caused serious damage to aquatic food productivity and resulted in serious pathogens becoming endemic in culture systems and the natura l aquatic environment. The use of appropriate antimicrobial treatments is one of the most effective management responses to emergencies associated with infectious disease epizootics. However, their inappropriate use can lead to problems related to increased frequency of bacterial resistance and the potential transfer of resistance genes in bacteria from the aquatic environment to other bacteria. Injudicious use of antimicrobials has also resulted in the occurrence of their residues in aquacultur e products, and as a consequence, bans by importing countries and associated economic impacts, including market loss have occurred. Since disease emergencies can happen even in well-managed aquaculture operations, careful planning on the use antimicrobials is essential in order to maximize their efficacy and minimize the selection pressure for increased frequencies of resistant variants. The prudent and responsible use of veterinary medicines is an essential component of successful commercial aq uaculture production systems. The FAO/AAHRI Expert Workshop on Improving Biosecurity through Prudent and Responsible Use of Veterinary Medicines in Aquatic Food Production was convened in Bangkok, Thailand from 15 to 18 December 2009, in order to understand the current status of the use of antimicrobials in aquaculture and to discuss the concerns and impacts of their irresponsible use on human health, the aquatic environment and trade. Such discussions became the basis for drafting recommenda tions targeted to the state and private sectors and for developing guiding principles on the responsible use of antimicrobials in aquaculture that will be part of the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries Technical Guidelines on Prudent and Responsible Use of Veterinary Medicines in Aquaculture. Since aquaculture is expected to continue to increase its contribution to the world¿s production of aquatic food, offer opportunities to alleviate poverty, increase employment and community de velopment and reduce overexploitation of natural aquatic resources, appropriate guidance to aquaculture stakeholders on the responsible use of veterinary medicines has become essential. Safe and effective veterinary medicines need to be available for efficient aquaculture production, and their use should be in line with established principles on prudent use to safeguard public and animal health. The use of such medicines should be part of national and on-farm biosecurity plans and in accordance with an overall national policy for sustainable aquaculture. This publication is presented in two parts: Part 1 contains 15 technical background papers presented during the expert workshop, contributed by 28 specialists and which served as a basis for the expert workshop deliberations; Part 2 contains the highlights of the expert workshop.
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    Book (stand-alone)
    Technical study
    Appropriate food packaging solutions for developing countries 2014
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    The study was undertaken to serve as a basis for the international congress Save Food!, taking place from 16 to 17 May 2011, at the international packaging industry fair Interpack2011 in Düsseldorf, Germany. Save Food! has been co organized by Interpack2011 and FAO, aiming to raise awareness on global food losses and waste. In addition, Save Food! brings to the attention of the international packaging industry the constraints faced by the small- and medium-scale food processing industries in dev eloping countries to obtain access to adequate packaging materials which are economically feasible. This revised edition, dated 2014, contains a new section on investment opportunities in developing countries (paragraph 3.7).
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