• A bottle of antibiotics

A bottle of antibiotics (Photo : Reuters//Duff Wilson)

According to scientists at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), developing countries are feeding livestock with antibiotics in an alarming rate that they are raising the risk of creating drug-resistant super bugs, Reuters reported.

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A study conducted at the Princeton University revealed that use of antibiotics in animals is believed to increase by two thirds worldwide between 2010 and 2030, while doubling in countries such as Russia, India, Brazil and China.

The study warned that the practice is taking us nearer to a time when common infections will no longer respond to drugs.

Tim Robinson, an ILRI scientist, said that the regular use of low doses of antibiotics on livestock is creating favorable conditions for resistant bacteria to grow. Consumption of eggs, milk and meat is increasing rapidly in several middle-income and developing countries.

Bacteria like salmonella and E. coli are becoming resistant to antibiotics. Antibiotic-resistant bacteria are passed from animals to people through direct contact or food contamination. Robinson said that these antibiotic-resistant bacteria will pose problems for doctors. Doctors may experience difficulty in treating common infections or other ailments.

Scientists are also concerned about Asia. In Asia, the demand for livestock products is increasing at a faster rate and regulations governing use of antibiotics in animals are non-existent.

Vietnam, Peru, Nigeria and Myanmar are the countries with the biggest projected increases in consumption of antibiotics.

Robinson said that increasing production of food for hundreds of thousands of people will need a new approach that is less dependent on antiobiotic-fueled breeding.

The poor people will be greatly affected if antibiotic-resistant bacteria infect humans more frequently because they will not be able to afford the drugs needed to battle infections.

According to the University of Delaware, fluoroquinolones used in livestock animals can lead to increased resistance in foodborne bacteria that can pose serious health risks to humans.