Abstract
The use of antimicrobial agents in food-producing animals may lead to the emergence and spread of antimicrobial resistance in bacteria of animal origin. The use of antimicrobial agents in pigs in 2018 in Japan was evaluated in terms of the weight of active ingredient and number of defined daily doses (DDD), using annual sales data of veterinary antimicrobials sold for use in pigs. In addition, the use of antimicrobial agents in the Japanese pig sector in 2008 to 2017 was evaluated to determine whether or not there were any differences in temporal change pattern by use of different metrics. In 2018, 447 metric tons of active ingredient, corresponding to 77,379 × 106 kg-days (Japanese DDD) and 34,903 × 106 kg-days (European DDD) were sold. The proportion of the sales amount of sulfonamides, trimethoprim and lincosamides to the total sales amount was significantly different depending on the metric used. For most antimicrobial classes, the number of Japanese DDDs was greater than the number of European DDDs. These results indicate that the DDD-based metric, which is more reflective of the selective pressure of antimicrobials, is recommended for use in monitoring the antimicrobial use in pigs in Japan. The differences in the number of Japanese DDDs and European DDDs appear to confirm the need for Japanese DDDs.
Highlights
Increased antimicrobial resistance in bacteria that cause infections in humans is a threat to public health
The antimicrobial agents sold for use in pigs in Japan was calculated to be 447 tons of active ingredients and 77,379 million DDDjps using Japanese defined daily doses (DDD) values, indicating that theoretically a total of 77,378 million kg-days of biomass were treated with antimicrobials in 2018
Between 2011 and 2012, the weight of active ingredient sold for oral use decreased while the numbers of DDDjps and DDDvets increased
Summary
Increased antimicrobial resistance in bacteria that cause infections in humans is a threat to public health. The use of antimicrobials in food-producing animals in the form of veterinary medicine and feed additives might lead to the emergence and spread of antimicrobial resistance in bacteria of animal origin. 700,000 people die of resistant infections every year. If no proactive solutions are taken to reduce the rise of drug resistance, by 2050, some 10 million lives per year could be at risk from drug resistant infections [1]. Bacterial resistance arises through complex mechanisms, normally by mutation and selection, or by the acquisition of genetic information that encodes resistance from other bacteria [2]. Diminishing the selection pressure by reducing antimicrobial use is considered to be one of the important strategies to prevent and control the emergence and spread of antimicrobial resistance [2]
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