Abstract
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR), one among the most common priority areas identified by both national and international agencies, is mushrooming as a silent pandemic. The advancement in public health care through introduction of antibiotics against infectious agents is now being threatened by global development of multidrug-resistant strains. These strains are product of both continuous evolution and un-checked antimicrobial usage (AMU). Though antibiotic application in livestock has largely contributed toward health and productivity, it has also played significant role in evolution of resistant strains. Although, a significant emphasis has been given to AMR in humans, trends in animals, on other hand, are not much emphasized. Dairy farming involves surplus use of antibiotics as prophylactic and growth promoting agents. This non-therapeutic application of antibiotics, their dosage, and withdrawal period needs to be re-evaluated and rationally defined. A dairy animal also poses a serious risk of transmission of resistant strains to humans and environment. Outlining the scope of the problem is necessary for formulating and monitoring an active response to AMR. Effective and commendably connected surveillance programs at multidisciplinary level can contribute to better understand and minimize the emergence of resistance. Besides, it requires a renewed emphasis on investments into research for finding alternate, safe, cost effective, and innovative strategies, parallel to discovery of new antibiotics. Nevertheless, numerous direct or indirect novel approaches based on host–microbial interaction and molecular mechanisms of pathogens are also being developed and corroborated by researchers to combat the threat of resistance. This review places a concerted effort to club the current outline of AMU and AMR in dairy animals; ongoing global surveillance and monitoring programs; its impact at animal human interface; and strategies for combating resistance with an extensive overview on possible alternates to current day antibiotics that could be implemented in livestock sector.
Highlights
Microorganisms are among the man’s best friends and worst enemies
In order to match this global demand for animal proteins, antimicrobial usage (AMU) in food animal production will rise over 67% by 2030 [19]
antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) possess potent bactericidal effects and are metabolized without adversely effecting the feed quality, few constraints, viz., high production cost; safety concerns; chances of resistance development; poor stability during transportation; easy hydrolysis by proteases in the alimentary canal; and pharmacodynamics, pharmacokinetics, and stability claims supported with only a handful of in vivo studies, limit their application as antimicrobial therapy; a lot of efforts and focus are still needed to categorized them as an effective replacement for antibiotics [79]
Summary
Microorganisms are among the man’s best friends and worst enemies. Knowledge about them has grown at fast pace; since their discovery by Leeuwenhoek and other eminent scientists, recognizing them as agents of infection. Besides having beneficial roles, their impact as a threatening agent against humans, animals, and vegetation persists in form of many infections in human and animals and food spoilage, adding considerable load on individual and global economy. To counter these living threat agents, several measures, especially administration of antimicrobials, are employed globally. Penicillin, retarded the prevalence of infectious diseases and saved millions of life during Second World War. Sir Alexander Fleming, during his Nobel Prize speech in 1945, stated that bacteria could develop resistance against antibacterial therapies, and it was not much later when cases of non-efficacy of the wonder drug itself were reported [5, 6]. We record the plausible alternative therapeutic strategies currently being used or studied to limit AMR problem
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