A Study from Michigan State University has cast light on the role antibiotics play in creating resistant bacteria on pig farms. Researchers from MSU and the US Department of Agriculture said their study showed that using antibiotics in pig feed increased the number of antibiotic resistant gastrointestinal microbes in pigs.

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The groups claim that prophylactic and improper use of antibiotics has led to the development of antibiotic resistant bacteria and that, as both animals and humans rely on the same finite groups of antibiotics, their use should be limited to treating illnesses. However, the pharmaceutical industry has a lot of political weight, particularly in the USA, where previous attempts to crack down on the overuse of antibiotics have been unsuccessful.

The study has been published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in the USA. Although the researchers said that modern science cannot fully explain how antibiotics enhance growth rates and feed efficiency, they said they were “concerned that on-farm use of these medications may contribute to the development of strains of microbes resistant to conventional antibiotics.”

Professor James Tiedje, a microbiologist, molecular geneticist and crop and soil scientist who led the study said, “The growth of antibiotic resistance in pathogens is a huge challenge for society around the world. Studies to understand what contributes to the spread and what interventions can help control the problem are vital.”

The MSU research found that a wider range of antibiotic genes in bacteria were found where in-feed antibiotics were used, and these were found in greater numbers. The scientists said longer term studies are now needed to continue the investigation, but stated that resistant E.Coli were found in the intestines of the pigs studied. The team also said their findings had shed some light on how antibiotics increase livestock growth and feed efficiency.

Last year, the European Commission released a 12 point plan detailing how it would address the problem of antibiotics misuse in farming and medicine. A number of EU states, along with NGOs, are pushing for tighter controls. In the USA, the Food and Drug Administration made moves to tighten legislation by limiting the use of cephalosporins.

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