Antibiotic-resistant superbugs found on farms across the world

Intensive livestock farming has fuelled the overuse of antibiotics, which in turn has led to the development of superbugs that are resistant to treatment

Superbug hotspots have been identified on farms as far apart as northeastern China, Mexico, South Africa and Southern Brazil

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Antibiotic-resistant superbugs are springing up in farms around the world. Photo: Shutterstock

Published: 12:02pm, 20 Sep 2019Updated: 12:02pm, 20 Sep 2019

Hotspots of antibiotic-resistant superbugs are springing up in farms around the world, the direct result of meat overconsumption, with potentially disastrous consequences for human health, a study has found.

Areas in northeastern India, northeastern China and the Red River delta in Vietnam were identified as hotspots in Asia, with areas as widely separated as Mexico and Johannesburg also affected. But the hotspots are expanding fast. The study found areas where resistance to antibiotics among farm animals was starting to emerge in Kenya, Morocco, Uruguay, southern Brazil, central India and southern China.

The scientists, reporting on their work in the peer review journal Science, said there was a “window of opportunity” to limit the rise of resistant bacteria “by encouraging a transition to sustainable animal farming practices” around the world, particularly in the countries highlighted.

“Regions affected by the highest levels of AMR [antimicrobial resistance] should take immediate actions to preserve the efficacy of antimicrobials that are essential in human medicine, by restricting their use in animal production,” the authors said.

They called the rise in demand for meat “the most notable dietary trend of our time”, with demand rising by nearly 70 per cent in Asia alone since 2000. But as the demand is being met from highly intensive farming, often with animals raised in poor conditions, it has fuelled the use of antibiotics, used in many countries to keep the livestock healthy and promote faster growth.

This overuse leads to the development of superbugs that are resistant to key medicines, which is likely to spread from the hotspots already identified, with “potentially serious consequences for public health”, the study found.