Antibiotic Resistance – Annotated Bibliography

Compiled by Marti Hoekstra

Burgess, C. (2003). Another Hazard for Farmers. Environmental Health Perspectives, 111(13), A717.

              Retrieved from Academic Search Premier database.

 

This article talks about yet another way antibiotic resistance on farms can be passed to their human caretakers. German researchers have documented a potential route of resistant bacteria transferring in the dust that is inside enclosed buildings on farms. Some of these drugs used on farms have even been detected in ground water and rivers!

 

Emanuele, P. (2010). Antibiotic resistance. AAOHN Journal, 58(9), 363-365. doi:10.3928/08910162-

              20100826-03.

 

Emanuele is an occupational health care registered nurse who provides an educational journal article from the perspective of a health care worker. Although she mainly focuses on the misuse of antibiotics in health care which contribute to resistance, she provides relevant background for our topic by establishing how real this resistance problem is! She talks about the general history of antibiotic development before going into detail about proper precautions that should be taken in a health care setting providing a helpful overview of this topic.

 

Friedman, D., Kanwat, C., Headrick, M., Patterson, N., Neely, J., & Smith, L. (2007). Importance of

              Prudent Antibiotic Use on Dairy Farms in South Carolina: A Pilot Project on Farmers’

              Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices. Zoonoses & Public Health, 54(9/10), 366-375.

              doi:10.1111/j.1863-2378.2007.01077.x.

 

This research study was completed in response to an increasing prevalence of transference of resistant bacteria from farm animals to human farm workers. It was done in North Carolina to assess farmers’ knowledge and attitudes relating to antibiotic use in livestock. It discussed how farmers determined their need for antibiotic use and also pinpointed areas of need for additional education. The research in this article took on many methods including surveys, interviews and visits which I thought made its data very inclusive. It drew to my attention the barriers to information relating to farmers’ language preferences, finances and lack of time which I found concerning.

 

Lessing, A. (2010). KILLING US SOFTLY: HOW SUB-THERAPEUTIC DOSING OF LIVESTOCK

              CAUSES DRUG-RESISTANT BACTERIA IN HUMANS. Boston College Environmental

              Affairs Law Review, 37(2), 463-491. Retrieved from Academic Search Premier database.

 

This review by Lessing is a very comprehensive overview of the progression of subtherapeutic antibiotic use and its link to human resistance to various bacteria. It goes over why these drugs are used on farms and how the FDA has tried on various occasions to regulate their use. The author would like to see a petition put into place to limit this drug use in farm animals and is pushing for an end to this occurrence.

 

McEwen, S. (2006). Antibiotic Use in Animal Agriculture: What Have We Learned and Where are We

              Going?. Animal Biotechnology, 17(2), 239-250. doi:10.1080/10495390600957233.

 

The author McEwen recognizes the importance of antibiotic use for the treatment of disease in animals. The effectiveness of their use has come into speculation as their use is becoming more and more common. This not only affects the use in animals, but studies have possibly shown these resistant bugs transferring to humans making drug treatments less successful with the use of stronger antibiotics. Although the WHO and FDA have made proposals to encourage more conservative use, the author recommends that a more specific plan is needed and that more scientific research is needed to prove these allegations or increase prudency on farms.

 

Mlot, C. (2000). Antidotes for Antibiotic Use on the Farm. Bioscience, 50(11), 955. Retrieved from

              Academic Search Premier database.

 

This science writer discusses how farmers are looking to alternatives to antibiotic use on their farms. Because the needs for these medications on farms are so extensive, the resistance problem encourages the search for alternatives, especially the use of antibiotics as growth promoters. She goes into detail about the problems and illnesses that have produced fluoroquinolone and vancomycin resistant bacteria and her examples include salmonella and enterococci. The alternatives to antimicrobial use in this article include separation of sick animals, careful handling, hygienic practices and vaccine use to prevent infections. Mlot also included additional references to plans of the WHO and FDA in her article.

 

Sharfstein, J. (2010, July 14) Statement of Joshua M. Sharfstein, MD Principal Duty

Commissioner. Retrieved from http://energycommerce.house.gov/documents/20100714/Sharfstein.Testimony.07.14.2010.pdf

 

Sharfstein from the Food and Drug Administration made this testimony in front of the U.S. senate relating to the preservation of antimicrobials. He provides a helpful background education to his listeners/readers about antibiotics, resistance and their uses. Sharfstein goes into detail on The U.S. Interagency Task force and their development of a plan to combat antibiotic resistance. Other combative plans of the FDA, Center of Veterinary Medicine and in human medicine are discussed as well. I thought this was an interesting article to use since it outlined background information, discussed the FDA’s plan in fighting this problem and was thorough in its discussion.

 

Spivey, A. (2007). Resisting Arrest. Environmental Health Perspectives, 115(7), A362. Retrieved from

              Academic Search Premier database.

 

Spivey writes an article discussing flouroquinolone-resistant bacteria found in chickens four years after the FDA banned the use of this type of antibiotic in 2005. This antibiotic was banned because while used on poultry farms, this drug was becoming less effective for human use. In a study done by John Hopkin’s, conventional poultry meat found in various supermarkets was compared along with antibiotic- free farm meat. It is suggested that since these bacteria can hold on for so long, additional measures including thorough disinfections and regular litter changing in hen houses will be necessary to make sure farms are absent of this lingering bacteria remaining in their meat.

 

Turnidge, J. 2004. Antibiotic use in animals prejudices, perceptions and realities.

Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy, 53. Retrieved from http://jac.oxfordjournals.org/content/53/1/26.full.pdf

 

Turnidge responds to the uprising pertaining to use of antibiotics in food producing animals and its contributions to the human antibiotic resistance problems. He states that research has been found linking antibiotic use in animals directly to resistance in these same animals, but that human harm has not been concretely found to be evidenced in research. Even if this cannot be proven directly, the author agrees that even if transference to humans from animals is infrequent it is still problematic. He also states that whatever the opinion is we should all turn our attention to decreasing resistance instead of discussing its contributors. This seemed to be an opinionated article that still provided background information on both sides, inspiring the reader to do their own research and develop their own take on this issue.

 

Walsh, C., & Fanning, S. (2008). Antimicrobial Resistance in Foodborne Pathogens - A Cause for

              Concern?. Current Drug Targets, 9(9), 808-815. Retrieved from Academic Search Premier

              database.

 

The study discussed in this article researched the transfer of resistant bacteria through food due to the stresses caused in the food processing environment. Since food sources such as farm animals are treated with antibiotics for disease prevention, treatment and growth, they frequently become carriers of antibiotic resistant bacteria that can be transferred to humans through the food chain. Biocides used in food production, including sanitizers and disinfectants, have had mixed reviews in that some cases have shown resistance to these chemicals while other studies have been unable to prove this. The link between antibiotic resistance and biocide use is unclear. This article also goes into detail about specific biocides used in farm production.