Antimicrobial stewardship in human and animal health

Resistance to all antimicrobials is increasing, with the greatest concern surrounding the increased bacterial resistance to antibiotics. Antimicrobial resistance seen in human medicine is primarily the result of antibiotic use in people, rather than animals, as stated in the Government’s Five Year Antimicrobial Resistance Strategy 2013-2018. The report warns it will become difficult to control infection in humans and maintain animal health if the number of hard-to-treat infections continues to grow.

Coordinated Antimicrobial Stewardship interventions can achieve optimal clinical outcomes related to antimicrobial use, minimise toxicity and other adverse events, they reduce the costs of health care for infections and limit the selection for antimicrobial resistant strains. As a result, there is reduced mortality, reduced risks of C. difficile and shorter hospital stays.  Working together to employ effective prevention strategies and invest in antimicrobial stewardship programs, we can more effectively combat antibiotic resistance.