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Animal breeders in Brazil may be overusing antibiotics, a
new report from the World Animal Protection charity said on Thursday (Nov 29,
2022), citing the results of water tests carried out in rivers near industrial
livestock farms in the south of the country.
Evidence from water samples collected in 2021 and detailed
for the first time in Brazil indicates that rivers near pig farms in the state
of Paraná had a diversity of so-called antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs)
compared to water taken from the same. - River springs.
Brazil is a major supplier of beef, chicken and pork to the
world market, exports to dozens of countries, and is China's main trading
partner.
Similar water tests have been conducted in the United
States, Canada, Spain and Thailand, according to a new report by World Animal
Protection.
“The findings suggest that multidrug-resistant bacteria from animal husbandry are circulating through the food chain, with negative implications for human health and the environment,” the charity said in a statement sent to Reuters.
ABPA, which represents Brazilian poultry and pork companies,
did not immediately reply to a comment request.
Scientists have for decades argued that the misuse or
overuse of antibiotics in industrial livestock farming has contributed to the
global spread of super bacteria.
The World Health Organization contends “antimicrobial
resistance is one of the top ten global public health threats facing humanity.”
An estimated 75% of global antibiotic production is used in
livestock farming including chicken and pigs, World Animal Protection said.
By 2050, 10 million people may die each year from infections
resistant to antibiotic treatment, up from 1.27 million currently, the charity
said.
In the United States, an analysis of pork cuts sold in
supermarkets found 80% of the bacteria isolated from samples resisted at
least one type of antibiotic, the report said.
Source:
Online/SZK
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