The College of Veterinary Medicine is on the front line of attack against the growing worldwide public health threat of bacterial infections in humans and animals that are resistant to antibiotics. With the support of a $2.25 million grant from USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), UMN veterinary researchers are investigating way to minimize antibiotic resistance through the poultry production system.
The lead researcher on the three-year project, epidemiologist Dr. Randall Singer, says the timing of the research is critical because of major changes occurring in the poultry industry related to antibiotic use. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration will phase out the use of low-dose growth-promoting antibiotics in food animals by the end of next year.
“It will be a major change to the poultry system,” says Singer. “Given that efficient production of chickens has occurred in conjunction with these antibiotics over many decades, there will likely be system-wide disturbances, such as an increase in the infection necrotic enteritis, which will require treatment with higher doses of antibiotics.”
The research team hopes to answer how eliminating the use of low-dose antibiotics in chicken feed will affect antibiotic resistance and animal health as well as the financial health of the industry. In addition, Singer’s team will develop a software tool to help poultry producers determine efficient and cost-effective ways to help mitigate antibiotic resistance.
“We want to help the industry adapt to the coming changes related to antibiotic use as well as to educate veterinarians on responsible antibiotic use in poultry,” says Singer. The study, “Systems Approach to Identifying Targeted Interventions for Minimizing Antibiotic Resistance in the Poultry Production System” has five objectives.
First, the team of scientists from the University of Minnesota, University of Georgia, Mississippi State University, University of Wisconsin, and the Food System Institute will perform rigorous systematic reviews to examine the scientific basis for antibiotic administration at hatcheries and approaches for the management and control of necrotic enteritis in the absence of low-dose growth-promoting antibiotics.
“When Europe eliminated low-dose antibiotics from animal agriculture there was an explosion of necrotic enteritis in poultry,” says Singer. “That is my concern. If the elimination of the low-dose antibiotics results in increased disease that requires treatment with higher-dose antibiotics, then we must find additional approaches for minimizing the risks associated with antibiotic resistance.”
The second objective is to quantify the effect of approved antibiotic administration for necrotic enteritis on the selection of antibiotic resistance. This research will be conducted in experimental trials lasting approximately 150 days over three flock cycles.
“This will be a massive trial,” says Singer. “We will examine the ability of commonly used antibiotics in broiler production to select for resistant Salmonella and E. coli. In other words, we will examine what should be expected when veterinarians prescribe approved antibiotics. We will help veterinarians make more informed decisions about antibiotic choices.”
The research’s third objective will leverage data collected through the National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System (NARMS) and its collaborations with committed industry partners to quantify links between on-farm practices and antibiotic resistance.
Singer, who is the co-lead of the poultry on-farm program for NARMS, says that participating companies in the NARMS program represent over 50 percent of U.S. annual chicken production. Participating firms will complete surveys regarding their use of antibiotics, disinfectants, and metals, and Singer’s team will in turn try to determine which, if any, of these practices lead to higher levels of antibiotic resistance.
The fourth part of the project will develop mathematical models that allow the research team to make predictions about how different mitigation strategies and interventions could affect antibiotic resistance in the future.
The final objective is to develop a software tool that the industry can use to determine the most efficacious and cost-effective options to reduce antimicrobial-resistant Salmonella and E. coli.
“One of the most important strategies to reduce antibiotic resistance is to promote responsible antibiotic use in people and animals,” notes Singer.
A unique aspect of this study is that an external Advisory Board, consisting of stakeholders in industry, government, and the public, will guide the research team and allow for “just-in-time” projects to respond to real-world concerns.
The University of Minnesota is one of seven major universities to receive a USDA NIFA grant in the area of Effective Mitigation Strategies for Antimicrobial Resistance.
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