POULTRY HEALTH & FOOD SAFETY
The future of antibiotic use in poultry production
The availability of antibiotics in poultry production depends on greater understanding
of their risks and bene;ts.
BY B.D. FAIRCHILD AND C.L. HOFACRE
The availability of antibiotics in poultry
production depends on greater understanding of their risks and bene;ts. The regulatory status and use of antibiotics in poultry
production were addressed in research presented at the annual meetings of the Poultry
Science Association, American Association
of Avian Pathologists and the American
Veterinary Medical Association.
Topics covered in one of the symposia
ranged from the effect of antibiotics in
poultry on consumer shopping, the need
to educate people on the differences in
the way that antibiotic use is reported, the
current use of antibiotics in poultry, and
the discussion of the possible ways that
antibiotics will be administered and their
use monitored in the future.
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Three classes of antibiotic
usage
One of the ;rst things to understand
is that antibiotics can be classi;ed into
three uses, which include therapeutics,
disease prevention and growth promotants. An antibiotic is a chemical produced
naturally by a bacteria or fungus to inhibit
the growth of neighboring bacteria, where
antimicrobials include both the antibiotics
and those compounds that are manmade,
like sulfa drugs.
Preventative growth promotants are
often added to the feed to improve feed
ef;ciency. These antibiotic feed additives
are used at low-dose, therapeutic levels to
decrease organisms such as Clostridium
perfringens that cause necrotic enteritis.
In addition to preventing subclinical C.
perfringens, the growth promotants may
have a bene;t in food safety, as found in
greatly in;uenced the amount and depth
of research on this topic, by insisting on
antibiotic-free and reduced antibiotic use in
the animals for food choices. Media sources
have put a heavy emphasis on antibiotic use
in food animals and its potential impact on
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two studies by Dr. Scott Russell at the
University of Georgia which demonstrated
that birds with airsacculitis that were not
given antibiotics were signi;cantly higher
in Campylobacter and Salmonella. There
are situations where animals do contract
infections that require therapeutic antibiotic administration. This is not only
important to the production aspects of the
food animal but also is critical in terms of
animal welfare.
Antibiotic resistance
misunderstood
The threat of organisms developing
resistance to antibiotics used in human
medical treatments is one of the biggest
concerns raised in this debate. Research
on antibiotic resistance continues to help
us better understand the factors that impact
this mechanism. Consumers armed with
their power of purchasing choice have also
antibiotic resistance. However, there are
other factors that can affect the development
of antibiotic resistance, which include, but
are not limited to, human medical use and
perhaps even practices of sanitation and
disinfection.
Dr. Brian D. Fairchild is associate professor/
extension poultry scientist, Poultry Science
Department, University of Georgia; Email
brianf@uga.edu. Dr. Charles L. Hofacre, is
professor, Center for Food Safety, Department
Avian Medicine, University of Georgia; Email
chofacre@uga.edu.
