Whatever newspaper you read or watch news bulletins from, cautions regarding misuse of antibiotics seem trending. Misuse is driving a dangerous surge in antimicrobial resistance, threatening global health and making common infections harder to treat. Due to busy schedules, workloads, and overreliance on allopathic medicines, people have forgotten to take a break and heal naturally even for the simplest cough & cold. Results are evident: “Antimicrobial Resistance.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But how are antibiotics related to farming, and should we use them? Is there a safe limit, and what does the World Health Organization recommend? Before understanding whether we should use antibiotics in farming or not, we should know what antibiotics are and why health experts are concerned about their use.
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According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO<\/a>), \u201cantibiotics are drugs of natural or synthetic origin that have the capacity to kill or to inhibit the growth of microorganisms. They act as chemotherapeutic agents to treat infections in humans, animals, and crops.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But if they kill micro-organisms, then what’s the big deal? It’s a win-win situation, right… Well no, that’s where we have to understand the term “antimicrobial resistance.” You might have heard the term “survival of the fittest<\/a>” or “adaptation<\/a>” or “mutation<\/a>.” Something similar happens in microorganisms when antibiotics are misused. Antimicrobial resistance is the ability of microorganisms to survive or multiply when exposed to concentrations of an antimicrobial drug that would normally kill or inhibit them. Recent World Health Organization data<\/a> shows that roughly 1 in 6 confirmed bacterial infections worldwide were resistant to antibiotics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Due to antimicrobial resistance, diseases such as tuberculosis, gonorrhea, etc. are becoming harder to treat, and it is directly responsible for over 1 million global deaths<\/a> annually. Agriculture (livestock and crops) accounts for around 70% to 80% of the global antibiotic consumption,<\/strong> causing a serious alarming situation. According to the assessments by the NIH,<\/a> 75% to 90% of antibiotics administered to farm animals are excreted unmetabolized, directly polluting surrounding soil and local waterways. Furthermore, mass overuse of antibiotics in agriculture creates ideal evolutionary conditions for drug-resistant bacteria (superbugs).<\/p>\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhat’s Antimicrobial Resistance?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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<\/p>\n\n\n\nShould Antibiotics Be Used In Farming?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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