Antibiotics: death prompts calls to limit use in farming
29 October 2010
Urgent restrictions are needed to curb the use of antibiotics in farming, Dutch experts say, as evidence mounts that humans are acquiring antibiotic-resistant bacteria through the food chain.
The concerns follow Holland's first reported death linked to infection by multidrug-resistant Escherichia coli bacteria, according to a report in the journal BMJ (2010; 341: c5677).
Specialists say there has been a significant rise in the number of bacteria producing an enzyme that makes bacteria resistant to modern antibiotics, called extended spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL).
The E. coli implicated in the recent fatality produced ESBL indistinguishable from that found in poultry - the most common animal recipients of antibiotics.
A researcher from Utrecht University said: "We have organised our animal production in such a way that once an organism emerges, it can be easily distributed throughout the country and the world".
Last Reviewed: 29 October 2010
- Sheldon T. Dutch doctors warn that the overuse of antibiotics in farming is increasing resistance. BMJ 2010; 341: c5677. http://www.bmj.com/content/341/7777/News.full.pdf (accessed 29 Oct 2010).
