UNAIR Professor: Beware of AMR transmission from animals and animal products

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Prof. Dr. Mustofa Helmi Effendi, drh., DTAPH. during inauguration. (Photo: Agus Irwanto)

UNAIR NEWS – Prof. Dr. Mustofa Helmi Effendi, drh., DTAPH. was officially inaugurated as the 524th Professor of Universitas Airlangga (UNAIR). The inauguration was held on Wednesday, October 6, 2021, in the Garuda Mukti Hall, UNAIR Campus C Management Office.

During his oration, the Professor of Veterinary Public Health Sciences conveyed the importance of public awareness about the potential transmission of Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) originating from animals and animal products. The Faculty of Veterinary Medicine (FKH) professor explained that antibiotics are often used as Antibiotic Growth Promoter (AGP) in livestock farming.

The use of antibiotics, he continued, serves to accelerate the growth of livestock so that they can grow more significantly in a fairly short time. In addition, he added, AGP is also provided to prevent livestock from getting infectious diseases. However, if this antibiotic is used excessively, it can cause bacteria to become resistant to the antibiotic.

“Various efforts have been made to suppress cases of antibiotic resistance. Through Regulation of the Minister of Agriculture No. 14/PERMENTAN/PK.350/5/2017 concerning the Classification of Animal Drugs, since January 1, 2018, the government has prohibited the use of AGP in feed,” he said.

Animal feed, he said, must be free from certain hormones and/or antibiotics as feed additives. This prohibition is also reinforced by Regulation of the Minister of Agriculture No.22/2017 on Feed Registration and Distribution, which requires producers who will register feed to make a statement not to use AGP in their feed formula.

“Although the use of AGP was banned several years ago, its impact is still felt today,” said Prof. Helmi.

AMR from Fresh Milk in East Java

The presence of 19.6 percent MRSA contamination and 1.7 percent ESBL-producing E. coli contamination can be caused by various factors, including low milking hygiene. Furthermore, contamination of MRSA and ESBL-producing E. coli is very dangerous for public health because it will increase the potential transmission of infection with difficult-to-treat AMR agents.

“We all have to start being aware of this AMR from fresh milk. To reduce its impact, we must heat up fresh milk before consumption and also supervise the use of proper antibiotics in farms,” explained Prof. Helmi.

AMR from Poultry

The prevalence of AMR E. coli producing ESBL is 7.03 percent from laying hens and 28.75 percent from broilers. The association between the incidence of ESBL-producing Escherichia coli and the antibiotic provision program variable correlated with the variable purpose of antibiotic use. From the analysis, we can conclude that the incidence of AMR in chicken farms can be reduced by using antibiotics only for treatment.

“AMR from chickens sold in traditional Surabaya markets also showed data on the presence of ESBL-producing E. coli. To reduce the prevalence of ESBL-producing E. coli, it is necessary to disseminate the need for proper and correct use of antibiotics in poultry farms,” ​​said Prof. Helmi.

AMR from Pets

MRSA infection in dogs is essential to consider and investigate because the characteristics of the MRSA gene found in dogs and humans are similar. The similarity indicates that an interrelated infection has occurred. Data from 2019 showed that 14 of 24 Staphylococcus aureus are MRSA. Meanwhile, related data regarding ESBL-producing E. coli from pets showed that 8 out of 85 Escherichia coli isolates are ESBL producers.

“The AMR data from these pets have gone through a confirmation test, MRSA verification with Oxacillin Resistance Screening Agar (ORSA), followed by the MecA gene test with Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), and to prove ESBL-producing E. coli was through DDST, Vitek-2 and blaCTX-M and blaTEM genes test with PCR,” explained Prof. Helmi.

At the end, Prof. Helmi reminded that the implementation of government regulations related to the use of antibiotics must be maintained and achieved together. Dissemination of AMR is useful for increasing public awareness about the potential for transmission to humans.

“Thus, this data can increase our knowledge about the prevalence and characterization tests of AMR isolates from animals and animal products,” he concluded. (*)

Author: Muhammad Suryadiningrat

Editor: Binti Q. Masruroh

Berita Terkait

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