Antimicrobial resistance in food animals: Policies, potentials and sti interventions in Indian context

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR)has become a matter of great public health concern globally. Very few countries like Scandinavia is effectively sustaining to maintain less number of resistant bacteria whereas the number is continuously increasing both in human and animals worldwide. As resistant bacteria can be transmitted through food, use of antibiotic in food animals play a significant role in development of antimicrobial resistance in human. WHO in 2014 reported AMR as one of the most serious global public health threat. India was reported the world‘s largest antibiotic consumer in 2015. Several studies indicate overuse of antibiotics for any reason other than the treatment of bacterial infections leads to antibiotic resistance against infections in animals and eventually in humans. This review summarizes the antibiotic use and resistance in food animals, policies, prospective and challenges in India by examining the available literature. Literature was reviewed from various databases in argument to identify the role of animal antibiotic use in development of AMR and to summarize the existing animal related antibiotic policies. Literature supports the conclusion that unnecessary veterinary antibiotic usage is associated with antimicrobial resistance in animals. Mostly all policies and programs are based upon expert opinion, here we tried to address current gaps in knowledge and recommend STI Interventions to tackle antibiotic resistance.