Summary
This systematic review, published in The Lancet Planetary Health, synthesises evidence from studies examining whether restricting antibiotic use in food animals leads to reductions in antibiotic resistance detectable in humans. The authors found that interventions restricting veterinary antibiotic use were associated with a reduction in antibiotic-resistant bacteria in food animals, and that there was evidence suggesting a corresponding, though more modest, reduction in resistance in humans. The review provides quantitative support for policies limiting prophylactic and growth-promotion use of antibiotics in livestock as a public health measure.
UK applicability
The findings are directly relevant to UK policy, given that the UK has pursued significant reductions in veterinary antibiotic use through the RUMA Targets Task Force and the Veterinary Antibiotic Resistance and Sales Surveillance (VARSS) programme; this review provides a systematic evidence base supporting the public health rationale for such restrictions.
Key measures
Prevalence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria (% resistant isolates); odds ratios or risk ratios for resistance outcomes in animals and humans following antibiotic restriction
Outcomes reported
The review measured the association between policies or interventions restricting antibiotic use in food-producing animals and changes in antibiotic-resistant bacteria in both animals and humans. It assessed the direction and magnitude of resistance reduction following restriction interventions.
Topic tags
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