Managing “superbugs” isn’t like swatting flies

Perhaps the most newsworthy item out of a Toronto conference, which has brought together a couple hundred animal health industry people to talk about the issue of bacteria resistant to penicillin and a wide range of other modern drugs is that “they are working on it.”

They are not going to wrap this event up Wednesday with a firm plan of action — a silver bullet strategy — , but I think everyone will go home with a renewed commitment to do a better job in their particular area of interest whether they be government regulators, farmers, veterinarians, animal health product manufacturers, drug distributors, feed mills or who ever.

Talk about a multi-pronged issue – trying to get a handle on the subject at the Antimicrobial Stewardship in Canadian Agriculture Conference is like trying to grab mud with your bare hands.

It is my impression that, yes everyone agrees there are more drug-resistant strains of bacteria and other organisms out there today, and vigilance and good management practices —good stewardship — is needed to minimize or perhaps prevent the development of these so-called “superbugs”, but the challenge is to get everyone pulling in the same direction at the same time toward this goal.

It is a complex issue. Just in Canada alone you have thousands of farmers with millions of animals (poultry, cows, horses, sheep, dogs and cats), several animal health manufacturers, dozens of distributors, a few thousand veterinarians, and multiple government departments, at both the federal and provincial levels who all need to be singing in tune from the same song sheet. And then when you add in the complication that it is really an international issue, well, it begins to sound overwhelming.

But before everyone goes all organic, there are a few points to be made:

-       Canadian food is still very healthy and safe. Animal agriculture is still doing a good job.

-       Yes, there are more antibiotic and/or antimicrobial resistant strains of bacteria developing. That is a concern that needs to be addressed, but the issue isn’t at a crisis level that threatens to shutdown livestock production, anymore than herbicide resistant weeds are poised to shut down crop production.

-       Animal agriculture is only a minor contributor to the whole issue of antimicrobial resistant bacteria. If there had never been a drop of penicillin (or other drug) used in a feedlot or a chicken barn, the issue of antimicrobial resistance in society would still be out there as a result of “advances” in human medicine. Bacteria is smart. If it feels threatened or challenged it will find a way to morph itself into a form that can resist that challenge.

-       There are sound protocols and procedures in place, or at least on paper the industry can follow to minimize the risk of antimicrobial resistance, the challenge is to get everyone to follow these protocols.

-   And let's not forget too, regardless of what happens at the farm or the feedlot, if all foods were properly handled and cooked at the processor, retailer and consumer level many of the bacteria issues, wouldn't be an issue. 

While more or more current government regulations are needed to address the whole issue of drug use in agriculture, a lot of voluntary progress has been made by the industry — particularly in the last five years — with quality assurance programs in various sectors of animal agriculture which have gone a long way toward ensuring the proper use of medications and feed additives. Much more has still to be done.

While this conference is working to turn this ocean liner around, a couple people made the point that hopefully it doesn’t take an outbreak of some Godzilla bacteria at a major hospital or an elementary school blamed on bad burger or chicken fingers to get government, producers and other players in the animal health industry moving a little faster.

Lee Hart is a field editor for Grainews in Calgary, Contact him at 403-592-1964 or by email at lee@fbcpublishing.com