The possible connection between antibiotics used to protect food animals from diseases and the growth of antibiotic-resistant antibiotics is sending alarm bells across the world. The problem is that drug-resistant microbes can easily move from the farm to fork and from one person to the next and then from one country to the next. The serious nature of the resistance to antibiotics has become one of the growing concerns to global public health.
How antibiotic-resistant bacteria spreads
- Antibiotics are chemical substances used to fight infections in humans and animals by destroying bacteria. They are used in animal farming to keep animals healthy, promote growth and cut down feeds.
- The over-use of antibiotics on animals has increased the possibility of breeding antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria.
- Humans get infected by resistant bacteria is by eating meat of animals that have grown resistant to bacteria. The infected human can spread the bacteria to others in the community or through hospital admission where the resistant bacteria then spreads to other patients who may already have drug-resistant bacteria which will make the bacteria multi-drug resistant.
- Sometimes when hospital waste is not disposed correctly then it can cause the rise of resistant bacteria if the waste makes its way into water bodies as happened in Kochi.
- Exposure also comes from slaughterhouses and farms as bacteria can remain on the hands as farm workers have to clean animal dung and also intestines. It has been observed that farms using antibiotic growth promoters in animal feeds showed more presence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in the intestines of farm workers than in people where antibiotic growth promoters are not given to animals.
- According to international norms animals are not given any antibiotics in the few weeks before slaughter. This helps to reduce the amount of antibiotic residue in the meat. There are some concerns that antibiotic residues in milk can make people who are already susceptible to an allergic reaction, much more sensitive to penicillin.
India and use of antibiotics in animals
In India antibiotics are used widely in animals as growth promoters and to prevent and treat infections in animals. A common disease in chickens is necrotic enteritis, a gut disease. When kept together in sheds or barns this disease spreads quickly, so antibiotics may be given to chickens in their feed to prevent it spreading. However, non-therapeutic use of antibiotics is especially common in poultry production and fisheries and in beekeeping. After conducting tests on chicken meat in 2014 and finding high levels of antibiotics in them, the Center for Science and Environment had expressed their concern about the “unregulated entry of antibiotics into the food-producing industry.”
It is common knowledge that farmers in the fish breeding states like Tamil Nadu add antibiotics to fish through various means like injecting. The popularity of using antibiotics in fish cultivation to speed breeding and growth is a dangerous trend. Fish, prawns and other seafoods are exported, and that there is an urgent need to keep a check on the usage of antibiotics. These products get rejected due to excessive use of medicines.
Antibiotics and honey
In India branded honey is contaminated with antibiotics like Chloramphenicol, Ciprofloxacin and Erythromycin. Antibiotics are regularly given to bees to prevent diseases. They also help to promote growth and increased volumes to meet commercial requirements. When honey is consumed on a regular basis then contaminated honey can build drug resistance and prescribed antibiotics for various illnesses in human beings may not work. Besides drug resistance, the antibiotic contaminated honey could lead to blood related diseases and could damage the kidney, liver, bone and teeth over time since honey is given even to children for its health benefits. Standards were proposed for antibiotics in honey according to the following parameters.
Antibiotics and prescribed tolerance limits in Honey determined by LC-MS/MS method:
Sr. No. | Name of Antibiotics | Tolerance Limit (Microgram/Kg) |
---|---|---|
1 | Chloramphenicol | 0.3* |
2 | Nitrofurans and its metabolites | 0.5* (Either individually or collectively) |
3 | Sulphonamides and its metabolites | 5.0* (Either individually or collectively) |
4 | Streptomycin | 5.0* |
5 | Tetracycline | 5.0* |
(a) Oxytetracycline | 5.0* | |
(b) Chlortetracycline | 5.0* | |
6 | Ampicillin | 5.0* |
7 | Enrofloxacin | 5.0* |
8 | Ciprofloxacin | 5.0* |
9 | Erythromycin | 5.0* |
10 | Tylosin | 5.0* |
*Limit of Quantification on the basis of LC-MS/MS method". |
FSSAI regulations for antibiotics in fisheries
Currently, there is no regulation for use of antibiotics in livestock. The Food Safety and Standards (Contaminants, Toxins and Residues) Regulations, 2011 only has standards for antibiotics in fisheries & honey under the regulation. Following is the list of antibiotics and pharmacologically active substances that are prohibited in any unit processing seafood.
Name of Antibiotics Tolerance Limit in Mg/Kg (PPM
Tetracycline 0.1
Oxytetracycline 0.1
Trimethoprim 0.05
Oxolinic acid 0.3
The use of any of the following antibiotics and other Pharmacologically Active Substances are prohibited in any unit processing seafoods including shrimps, prawns or any other variety of fish and fishery products —
All Nitrofurans including
- Furaltadone, Furazolidone, Furylfuramide, Nifuratel, Nifuroxime, Nifurprazine, Nitrofurantoin, Nitrofurazone, Chloramphenicol, Neomycin, Nalidixic acid,
- Sulphamethoxazole, Aristolochia spp and preparations thereof
- Chloroform, Chlorpromazine, Cholchicine, Dapsone, Dimetridazole, Metronidazole,
- Ronidazole, Ipronidazole,
- Other nitroimidazole, Clenbuterol, Diethylstilbestrol (DES)
- Sulfonamide drugs (except approved Sulfadimethoxine, Sulfabromomethazine and Sulfaethoxypyridazine)
- Fluoroquinolones, Glycopeptides
Though there might not be regulations for antibiotic except in fisheries and lately in honey, the food regulator advises restricted use of antibiotics in feed and feed supplement. Besides restrictive use in feed, FSSAI would also like that antibiotic use on animals be carried out under veterinary supervision. FSSAI is of the view that meat and meat producing animals/ birds should not be given feed that contain the meat, blood meal, bone tissues or internal organs of bovine and porcine animals except of course milk and milk products. FSSAI has also issued guidelines on the restriction of antibiotics in Meat & Meat Products which are still to be implemented.
FSSAI suggests that poultry must not to be slaughtered in the same slaughterhouse as that used to slaughter bovine or porcine animals. Only those animals must be slaughtered that are allowed under the Food Safety and Standards (Food Product Standards and Food Additives) regulations, 2011. Use of hormones as growth promoters in poultry and meat should be stopped as these have known adverse effects on human and animal life. In order to track antibiotic FSSAI has expressed the view that the supply of a licensed antibiotic must be given to registered users and have also stress the need for an alternative antibiotic in feed.
Dr. S GH AGARWAL says
In India branded and top advertised honey is simply a mixture of various plant based syrups like Rice syrup, Corn syrup, HFCS, Invert syrup etc. ; hence totally free of antibiotics. FSSAI Advisory related to antibiotics in honey is responsible for such a pathetic situation as limits for tetracyclines in honey in Canada, Australia and Japan is 300ppb, In UK and many EU countries individually between 20-50ppb. Similar situation for other antibiotics.
Most of Branded Indian honey will fail in NMR Honey profiling, EA-LC-IRMS, Foreign oligosacharides and other authenticity tests. Surprisingly, all top FSSAI Brass is well aware of this situation.