SYDNEY, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- Australian experts urges to scale back large amounts of antibiotics being given to livestock to help address antibiotic resistance in humans, according to a report published on Monday in the Medical Journal of Australia.
Researchers from Australia's Monash University and Alfred Health found that on average, 182 tonnes of antibiotics were sold for use on animals every year between 2005 and 2010, while 121 tonnes on humans over the same period.
"The increasing intensification of modern food animal production has resulted in an increase in antimicrobial use in livestock, for both therapeutic and non-therapeutic purposes," the report said.
"There are a number of mechanisms by which antimicrobial use in animals affects resistance in human pathogens, such as transmission by direct contact and indirectly, through food consumption and environmental contamination."
Antimicrobial use in animals has been a concern for several decades, with studies showing that reduced use of antimicrobials in animals leads to reduced resistance in humans.
According to the study, the use of antimicrobials in animals should be reduced in non-therapeutic circumstances such as growth control.
Additionally, they say that the spread of pathogens should be better controlled before antibiotics are required, such as through vaccination and better designed production facilities.
