Curbing farm use of antibiotics heats up again

Ontario Medical Association says incidence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria is on the rise and must be stopped

The Ontario Medical Association is calling on government to impose sweeping restrictions on non-essential farm and other uses of medicines before bacterial resistance to life-saving antibiotics threatens human health. Growing resistance to antibiotics endangers “one of the most fundamental and life-saving tools in medicine,” the association warns in a report entitled ‘When Antibiotics Stop Working.’

Antibiotic resistance could be ‘apocalyptic scenario’

Antibiotic resistance “has the potential to undermine modern health systems,” and an “apocalyptic scenario may be looming if we don’t act now,” say scientists writing in the British Medical Journal. Current estimates suggest that antibiotic resistance is a relatively cheap problem, they write, but such estimates do not take account of the fact that antimicrobial


Antimicrobial resistance monitoring on the way for broiler operations

A rise in antimicrobial resistance has prompted officials to start monitoring chicken operations in four provinces. The Canadian Integrated Program for Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance (CIPARS) will begin monitoring broiler chicken operations early this year, the Public Health Agency of Canada said in a statement. The expanded surveillance project will gather data from farms in Ontario,

Prescription only

Last week was recognized in the U.S. as “Get Smart About Antibiotics Week,” and two coalitions came forward with statements about the growing problem of antimicrobial resistance. While they delivered the same message — protecting antibiotics is a shared responsibility — they were notably different in tone. First was an announcement that the U.S. Centers


Research looks for antibiotic alternatives

Plant-based peptides could offer alternatives to antibiotics currently used in livestock production, if research at Prairie Plant Systems pans out. The Saskatoon-based company is examining the possible applications of peptides possessing antibacterial properties. “It’s pretty preliminary research, but the idea behind it is to see if it’s possible to have feed amendments that could prevent

U.S. livestock antibiotic move under scrutiny in Canada

Amove by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to clamp down on the use of human antibiotics in veterinary drugs is being closely watched in Canada, but no immediate action is being planned. The final shape of the FDA’s plan has yet to be determined but it’s aimed at eliminating so-called non-therapeutic antibiotic use within


Canadian-EU Beef Exports Become More Economic

Canadian beef may soon have easier access to European Union (EU) markets, thanks to upcoming revisions to the production and processing protocol that governs Europe s imports of Canadian beef. These changes would be very significant, says Mark Klassen, director of technical services for the Canadian Cattlemen s Association, who has been working with industry

No One In Charge Of Antibiotic Issue

A2002 Health Canada report mapped out a plan for veterinary medicines that would have solved many of the current controversies about antibiotic resistance in meat products, says John Prescott, a professor at the Ontario Veterinary College in Guelph. “This was an absolutely outstanding report which involved considerable work and effort from many people across the


Chicken Farmers Accuse CBC Of Slanted Report

Canada’s chicken industry is accusing CBC of selectively using data to conclude that chicken meat in stores often contains bacteria that is resistant to antibiotics. Chicken Farmers of Canada says the CBC-TV consumer affairs program “Marketplace” failed to make a link between so-called superbugs and antibiotic use on farms, despite claiming to do so in

New Superbug Strain Of E. Coli Emerges – for Aug. 5, 2010

A new, virulent and drug-resistant strain of E. coli bacteria is infecting people in the United States and posing a significant public health threat, doctors reported July 30. The new strain is called ST131 and caused many of the E. coli infections resistant to antibiotics in the fluoroquinolone and cephalosporin classes, the researchers said. “If