Abstract
The demand for animal protein has increased considerably worldwide, especially in China, where large numbers of livestock and poultry are produced. Antibiotics have been widely applied to promote growth and prevent diseases. However, the overuse of antibiotics in animal feed has caused serious environmental and health risks, especially the wide spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), which seriously affects animal and human health, food safety, ecosystems, and the sustainable future development of animal protein production. Unfortunately, AMR has already become a worldwide challenge, so international cooperation is becoming more important for combatting it. China’s efforts and determination to restrict antibiotic usage through law enforcement and effective management are of significance. In this review, we address the pollution problems of antibiotics; in particular, the AMR in water, soil, and plants caused by livestock and poultry manure in China. The negative impact of widespread and intensive use of antibiotics in livestock production is discussed. To reduce and mitigate AMR problems, we emphasize in this review the development of antibiotic substitutes for the era of antibiotic prohibition.
Highlights
With the increasing demand for protein-rich food, global animal production has intensified considerably, especially in developing countries
This review focuses on pollution by antibiotics and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in livestock and poultry manure and countermeasures against this in China, in light of China’s 14th 5-year plan, which was launched recently and recognized the increasing demand for animal protein food supply and security
In the 1950s, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved, for the first time, the addition of antibiotics to feed, and countries around the world began to study the application of antibiotic additives; since the 1960s, countries have begun to use a large number of antibiotic additives in feed
Summary
With the increasing demand for protein-rich food, global animal production has intensified considerably, especially in developing countries. Chee-Sanford et al [21] found eight tetracycline resistance genes encoding resistance in septic tanks and groundwater samples near pig farms; these were tetracycline O (tet (O)), tetracycline Q (tet (Q)), tetracycline W (tet (W)), tetracycline M (tet (M)), tetracycline b P (tetb (P)), tetracycline S (tet (S)), tetracycline T (tet (T)), and oxytetracycline (otr (A)) This investigation showed that the unregulated discharge and treatment of livestock manure will cause serious AMR gene pollution in the surrounding water and soil environment. When antimicrobials are used in aquaculture seafood production, the AMR genes may enter into the food chain and eventually into the human body through seafood consumption This could cause damage to human health over time and lead to drug resistance, which could have a great impact on the elderly, children, pregnant women, and other groups with weak immunity. Infections caused by superbugs are a true threat to human and animal health worldwide and can lead, to loss of life, and to a heavy economic burden on the health sector (www.who.int (accessed on 30 March 2021))
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