Why are antibiotics administered to the chickens

The disease may be systemic, affecting multiple organs and tissues or localized in tissues as infraorbital sinus or air sacs producing swelling of the head, wattles, sinuses and joints in poultry birds. A study carried out in Ghana show that P. The organisms showed resistance to cephalosporins, carbapenems, penicillins, quinolones, monobactam and aminoglycoside. Another study in Nigeria reported that the P.

Isolates exhibited variable multidrug resistance patterns to other antibiotics [ 53 ]. Escherichia coli is a Gram-negative bacterium that has been known for ages to easily and frequently exchange genetic information through horizontal gene transfer with other related bacteria. Hence, it may exhibit characteristics based on the source of isolation. However, some strains have been reported to cause gastrointestinal illnesses [ 54 ]. Tetracycline which is commonly used in poultry has been reported to be one of the drugs bacteria are most resistant to.

There is a reported tetracycline resistance in poultry even without the administration of this antibiotic [ 21 ]. A study carried out on fecal isolates of E. It was observed that the isolates from birds had high rates of resistance to amoxycillin alone and others had resistance to amoxicillin as well as oxytetracycline, streptomycin, sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim.

All isolates showed some degree of resistance to ceftriaxone 1. Resistant genes have been found in E. In this study the isolates were susceptible to amoxicillin-clavulanate, ceftiofur, cefotaxime, colistin, florfenicol and apramycin. There is that suggestion that poultry production environments represent important reservoirs of antibiotic resistance genes such as qnrS that may spread from livestock production farms to human populations via manure and water [ 57 ].

Salmonella spp. Fecal shedding allows Salmonella to be transmitted among birds in a flock. Prevalence varies considerably depending on country and type of production as well as the detection methods applied. It is known to be the etiological agent responsible for salmonellosis by Salmonella spp.

Food-borne salmonellosis caused still occurs throughout the world [ 58 ]. It also depends on age of the chicken, animal health, survival of organism in the gastric barrier, diet and genetic constitution of the chicken could also affect the colonization ability of Salmonella spp. Pullorum disease in poultry is caused by the S. Transmission of the disease in birds can be vertical transovarian but also occurs through direct or indirect contact with infected birds via respiratory route or fecal matter or contaminated feed, water, or litter.

Antimicrobials used to treat pullorum disease are furazolidone, gentamycin sulfate and antimetabolites sulfadimethoxine, sulfamethazine and sulfamerazine [ 62 ]. All the isolated strains were resistant to at least one class of antimicrobial and In Ghana, there is high prevalence rate of Resistance of these isolates to the various antibiotics were nalidixic acid Streptococcus is Gram-positive bacteria.

Streptococcus gallolyticus is a common member of the gut microbiota in animals and humans; however, being a zoonotic agent, it has been reported to cause mastitis in cattle, septicemia in pigeons, and meningitis, septicemia, and endocarditis in humans [ 64 ]. A study carried out in Japan isolated Streptococcus gallolyticus from pigeons with septicaemia. Most of the isolates were susceptible to vancomycin, penicillin G and ampicillin, while some were resistant to tetracycline, doxycycline and lincomycin.

Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli are the most prevalent disease causing species of the genus Campylobacter. They are mostly responsible for foodborne gastroenteritis in humans [ 66 , 67 , 68 ]. Campylobacteriosis is often associated with handling of raw poultry or eating of undercooked poultry meat [ 69 ]. Erythromycin is usually the drug of choice for the treatment of Campylobacter infections [ 68 ].

However, fluoroquinolones, gentamicin, and tetracycline are also clinically effective in treating Campylobacter infections when antimicrobial therapy is required [ 70 ]. Resistance of C. The increased resistance is partly due to the wide use of these antimicrobials in animal husbandary, especially in poultry [ 71 , 72 ].

The isolated Campylobacter strains were found to be resistant to gentamycin, tetracycline, ampicillin, ciprofloxacin and erythromycin and tet O gene and mutations in the gyrA genes were found to be associated with the observed antibiotic resistance in the study [ 73 ].

Another study carried out in Kenya isolated thermophilic Campylobacter species C. These isolates showed a high rate of resistance to nalidixic acid, tetracycline and ciprofloxacin of Low resistance In Ghana, other species such as Campylobacter lari , Campylobacter hyo-intestinalis and C.

It is a Gram-negative non-spore-forming rod, a psychrotrophic bacterium and able to survive and multiply at cold temperatures. Poultry meat is one of the most important sources of Yersinia spp. Yersinia enterocolitica is the predominant specie mostly isolated from poultry and poultry products [ 77 ]. In humans, Y.

Antibiotics remain essential to the survival of human beings and, as such, their mass-use in animal agriculture must end. The more humanity splurges its antibiotics on chicken farming, and other forms of animal agriculture, the quicker we charge towards a post-antibiotic world where going to the hospital for a simple procedure could be deadly.

UK based writer opposed to the unnecessary suffering of all beings. Dissecting our treatment of animals in history, philosophy and culture. Founder of The Liberator online magazine. Andrew Skowron. Why Are Chickens Given Antibiotics? What Antibiotics Are Used on Chickens?

Some of the major antibiotics used in chicken farming are: Sulfonamides: An antimicrobial used to treat numerous infections. They are administered prophylactically for animals, with large doses added to water or feed. They are not considered particularly important in human medicine, although they are occasionally used. However, studies report that the prophylactic use of sulfonamides in agriculture selects for bacteria with multi-drug resistant properties, which may be resistant to medically crucial antibiotics in humans.

Therefore, even the use of medicinally non-essential chicken antibiotics could lead to destructive results in human health. Fluoroquinolones: Used as mass medication for humans and chickens, fluoroquinolones are often used to treat respiratory infections in chickens, which are common due to the ammonia-dense air caused by droppings in factory farms.

Thirty-two million doses of fluoroquinolones are sold to people in the US each year. They are banned in American agriculture for their role in creating antibiotic-resistant strains of campylobacter but are still utilized in agriculture in China, the EU, the U.

Tetracyclines: Used as a prophylactic and growth-promoting drug, their overuse is a grave concern in less regulated jurisdictions, with copious amounts of tetracycline residue being found in chicken meat. Colistin: Critically important in human medicine, used for treating pneumonia in humans and promoting growth in chickens; thousands of tonnes of colistin are shipped to unregulated farming jurisdictions.

What Do Antibiotics Do to Chicken? The European Union Summary Report on antimicrobial resistance in zoonotic and indicator bacteria from humans, animals and food in The European Union summary report on antimicrobial resistance in zoonotic and indicator bacteria from humans, animals and food in Agribusiness handbook. Poultry meat and eggs. Accessed June Annual Report. Molecular classification and drug resistance analysis of Escherichia coli isolated from poultry in China.

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Drug information for everyone. Accessed Sept. BVL-Report Antimicrobial resistance: one world, one fight! Control 4 Prevalence and characterization of integrons in blood culture Enterobacteriaceae and gastrointestinal Escherichia coli in Norway and reporting of a novel class 1 integron-located lincosamide resistance gene. Extensive dissemination of CTX-M-producing Escherichia coli with multidrug resistance to 'critically important' antibiotics among food animals in Hong Kong, Analysis of lincomycin resistance mutations in Escherichia coli.

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All email addresses you provide will be used just for sending this story. And 53 percent of those surveyed believe such claims should mean that no antibiotics of any kind were given to the animal.

Inappropriate use of antibiotics in animals raised for food is a major contributor to antibiotic resistance, which is a global health threat. Rogers, Ph.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 2. In more than , of those cases, the infection came from something an individual ate. One exception: Chickens and turkeys can be given antibiotics in the hatchery while the chick is still in the egg and on its first day of life. Food producers that use the organic seal undergo annual on-farm inspections, so the claim is verified.

Producers send documentation to the USDA to support their claim, but there are no inspections. There are a number of companies that produce or serve meat raised without antibiotics. Progresso is using no-antibiotics chicken in all its chicken soup varieties. Applegate Farms and Coleman Natural produce no-antibiotics poultry, beef , and pork.

Almost none of the meat served at Panera Bread or Chipotle has been raised with the drugs.