About this Research Topic
Antimicrobial resistance has become a global problem that threatens public, animal and environmental health. The inappropriate use of antimicrobials in food-producing animals has been pointed out as one of the main causes of the emergence of this phenomenon. Poor therapeutic practices such as preventive, unnecessary or incomplete antimicrobial treatments in animal production have led to the development of resistance in bacteria that cause animal diseases, but also in bacteria that can infect humans, causing serious illness and death. One out of five infections with resistant bacteria in humans are acquired from animals or foods of animal origin. The food animal industry is one of the most active sectors of the economy of developing countries, producing high quality food for the local population, and increasingly, for consumers in all continents.
Despite the growing importance of the animal production industry in developing countries in the global context, there are important knowledge gaps that must be addressed in order to understand the epidemiology of antimicrobial resistance, estimate and manage the risks of emergence and dissemination of resistant bacteria of importance to public health, and thus protect local and global consumers.
With this Research Topic we hope to convoke studies that address issues such as the following, with a contextual emphasis on the developing countries:
• the consumption of antibiotics in food-producing animals,
• phenotypic and genotypic characterization of resistant zoonotic bacteria,
• prevalence and incidence of resistance bacteria,
• the identification and quantification of biological, social and environmental factors that favor the development and dissemination of antimicrobial resistance,
• the development of protocols and strategies to prevent the development of resistance in zoonotic bacteria,
• the promotion of changes in antimicrobial practices in the food animal industry,
• the role of government agencies in the prevention and control of resistance,
• the development of new antibiotics, vaccines, diagnostic methods and other technologies necessary to face this challenge.
Despite the growing importance of the animal production industry in developing countries in the global context, there are important knowledge gaps that must be addressed in order to understand the epidemiology of antimicrobial resistance, estimate and manage the risks of emergence and dissemination of resistant bacteria of importance to public health, and thus protect local and global consumers.
With this Research Topic we hope to convoke studies that address issues such as the following, with a contextual emphasis on the developing countries:
• the consumption of antibiotics in food-producing animals,
• phenotypic and genotypic characterization of resistant zoonotic bacteria,
• prevalence and incidence of resistance bacteria,
• the identification and quantification of biological, social and environmental factors that favor the development and dissemination of antimicrobial resistance,
• the development of protocols and strategies to prevent the development of resistance in zoonotic bacteria,
• the promotion of changes in antimicrobial practices in the food animal industry,
• the role of government agencies in the prevention and control of resistance,
• the development of new antibiotics, vaccines, diagnostic methods and other technologies necessary to face this challenge.
Keywords: Developing Countries, Antimicrobial Resistance, Food Animal, Public Health, Zoonotic Bacteria
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