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Driving a new era of antimicrobial use

Research is helping the beef industry strengthen the management of antimicrobials, to reduce resistance issues and producer cost while supporting animal health.

"By modifying production practices and exploring alternatives to preserve animal health, it's possible to dramatically lower the level of antimicrobials that today's operations require." – Dr. Tim McAllister

Antimicrobials.

Few words carry as much controversy or complexity for Canada's beef industry.

Antimicrobial drugs administered to cattle have long played a critical role in animal health, helping to ensure a strong supply of safe, high-quality beef.

But their use has faced increasing scrutiny, particularly as administering antimicrobials at sub-therapeutic levels to healthy animals has become routine practice, to prevent animal health problems in an easy-to-manage way and to promote animal growth.

The fact is, the more an antimicrobial is used, the more pressure it places on the microbes it targets to evolve and eventually become resistant. That process reduces the effectiveness of the antimicrobial, leaving producers potentially with new, more difficult animal disease concerns and less options for treating sick cattle.

Concern has also risen that antimicrobial use in cattle production may contribute to the development of resistant microbes that threaten human health. An extensive study, funded by the Canada Alberta Beef Industry Development Fund (CABIDF) and completed in 2004, thoroughly examined this question.

While this study ruled out several major concerns and found no immediate human health threats linked to cattle production practices, researchers cautioned antimicrobials must be used judiciously to minimize the potential for future issues relevant to both animal and human health. (For more information on this study, click here).

In addition, on the production front, antimicrobial use and its associated costs have come under stronger focus, as producers look for new ways to support the profitability of their operations.

What's more, interest has grown in the production of organic beef produced without antimicrobials, creating greater public awareness of antimicrobial use and questions regarding how that use affects meat quality and safety.

Clearly, each of these concerns adds up to a serious, multi-layered issue for the Alberta and Canadian beef industries. But how best to tackle it?

One of Canada's leading beef scientists with perspective on antimicrobial use in cattle is Dr. Tim McAllister, of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada's (AAFC) Lethbridge Research Centre. A veteran rumen microbiologist and nutritionist, with extensive experience in many areas of beef science, McAllister led the experimental pen and small-scale feedlot components of the broad initial CABIDF study on antimicrobial resistance, and he remains on the front line of research progress in this area.

In a four-part "Perspectives on Beef Science" discussion, McAllister provided insight into the challenge of managing antimicrobial use, what scientists are learning from further research and what the future holds.

Next: Championing 'prudent use'

Support for the development of this Perspectives on Beef Science article was provided by the Canada Alberta Beef Industry Development Fund.

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