Abstract
Simple SummaryAccess to antibiotics online endangers its responsible use, increasing the risk of bacterial resistance emergence. The objective of this study was to assess the possibility of purchasing antibiotics for veterinary use on the internet, evaluating the availability of those classified as highest priority critically important antimicrobials (HP-CIA), and if a prescription is required. The Google and Bing search engines and both simple and complex search strings in Spanish and in English were used. The simple search string was “buy veterinary antibiotics”. Complex searches used wildcards and specific syntax. The searches carried out in Spanish revealed that 50% of websites operated in South America and 65% of websites did not require a valid prescription. For the searches in English, 57% of websites operated in the United States of America (USA) and 55% of them did not require a prescription. Our study shows that veterinary antibiotics are easily available for purchase online without a prescription.Antibiotics are essential medicines against infectious diseases in both humans and animals. An inappropriate use of antibiotics can impair animal health and enhance the risk of bacterial resistance, as well as its transfer from animals to humans. The objective of this study was to assess the possibility of purchasing antibiotics for veterinary use on the internet, to evaluate if a prescription is required, and to determine the availability of drugs classified as the highest priority critically important antimicrobials (HP-CIA). The Google and Bing search engines and both simple and complex search strings in Spanish and in English were used. The simple search string was “buy veterinary antibiotics”. Complex searches used wildcards and specific syntax. The searches carried out in Spanish revealed that 50% of websites operated in South America, and 65% of websites did not require a valid prescription. Fluoroquinolones were offered in 84% of these websites (45% without prescription), macrolides were offered in 63% of these websites (43% without prescription), and 3rd– and 4th–generation cephalosporins in 54% of these websites (38% without prescription). For the searches in English, 57% of these websites operated in the United States of America (USA), and 55% of them did not require a prescription. Fluoroquinolones were offered in 79% of these websites (49% without prescription), macrolides were offered in 72% of these websites (45% without prescription), and 3rd– and 4th–generation cephalosporins were offered in 49% of these websites (27% without prescription). Therefore, it is easy to illegally access antibiotics via the internet.
Highlights
Antibiotics are essential medicines against infectious diseases in both humans and animals.In veterinary medicine, their use is complex, and they have different methods of application, depending on the context and animal species considered
While for companion animals it follows a similar process as a prescription for humans, for food-producing animals the control of bacterial infections can be achieved by means of therapeutic, metaphylactic, and prophylactic treatments after a veterinary prescription
In the European Union (EU), antibiotic growth promoters were withdrawn in 2006 [1], and in the United States of America (USA), their use has been curtailed since 2017, according to the new rules established by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) [2]
Summary
Antibiotics are essential medicines against infectious diseases in both humans and animals. In veterinary medicine, their use is complex, and they have different methods of application, depending on the context and animal species considered. While for companion animals it follows a similar process as a prescription for humans, for food-producing animals the control of bacterial infections can be achieved by means of therapeutic, metaphylactic, and prophylactic treatments after a veterinary prescription. There is no doubt that antimicrobial use in veterinary medicine has resulted in healthier and, in the case of food-producing species, more productive animals, ensuring the welfare and health for both animals and humans. Over the past decade, increasing attention has been placed to the appropriate use of antimicrobials for both humans and veterinary medicine. The use of antimicrobials, especially misuse or overuse, may promote the selection of resistant bacteria and resistance genes, as well as increasing the risk of new resistant bacteria emerging [3,4]
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