Eliminate nontherapeutic antimicrobial use in agriculture: AMA

摘要

Diversifying its crusade against misuse of antimicrobials and consequential resistance, the American Medical Association most recently set its sights on animal agriculture. In a resolution adopted June 19 by its House of Delegates, the AMA opposed the use of antimicrobials at "non-therapeutic levels" in agriculture or as pesticides or growth promoters. The AMA resolution urges "that nontherapeutic use in animals of antimicrobials (that are also used in humans) should be terminated or phased out based on scientifically sound risk assessments...." In the resolution, the AMA does not define the term "non-therapeutic" The Animal Health Institute, the U.S. trade association that represents manufacturers of animal health care products, criticized the AMA resolution as "far too broad and sweeping" and an ineffective solution to addressing antimicrobial resistance. However, AHI vice president of public affairs, Ron Phillips, acknowledged that this amended form of the resolution includes two improvements--addition of the phrases "that are also used in humans" and "based on scientifically sound risk assessments."