WildLife Group
of the SAVA
your body, including some of the “good” bacteria
that help you digest food, fight infection, and stay
healthy. Bacteria that are tough enough to survive
the drug will have a chance to grow and quickly
multiply. These drug-resistant strains may even spread
to other people,” explains Johan Oosthuyse, CEO
of V-Tech, one of South Africa’s leading providers
of pharmaceutical solutions to the animal health
industry.
“Over time, if more and more people take antibiotics
when they aren’t necessary, drug-resistant bacteria
will continue to thrive and spread. They may even
share their drug-resistant traits with other bacteria. As
a result, drugs may become less effective or not work
at all against certain disease-causing bacteria.”
Oosthuyse strongly believes this is making it even
more vital to ensure that antibiotics (also known as
antimicrobials) which are used to treat sick animals,
especially those bred for food, are used responsibly to
prevent increased antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
He adds that South Africa is expected to play an
important role in the global fight against AMR.
“Even though there is conflicting evidence about
the relationship between AMR in humans and in
animals, there is a real concern globally that AMR will
further limit the availability of antimicrobials that will
effectively treat human diseases in the future. As a
result, vets and other health officials, together with
pharmaceutical companies like V-Tech, need to work
together towards achieving the strategic objectives
set out in the World Health Organisation’s AMR
framework.”
V-Tech has been promoting the responsible use
of antimicrobials in the local meat and poultry
industry for many years. It is the only company in
South Africa to offer extensive surveillance in the
use of antimicrobials on animals, working with
industry leaders for the past eight years to ensure
that meat and poultry eaten by South Africans is
completely antimicrobial-free before it is packaged for
consumption. This is done through a strict approach
– firstly by testing the infected animals to ensure the
right medicine is prescribed, then by formulating
animal- or farm-specific medicine, and then by testing
the animals to ensure the treatment is being effective
and then that the antibiotic is withdrawn in time.
“Antimicrobials for animal treatment should
follow strict guidelines with minimum inhibitory
concentration (MIC) diagnostics – by that we mean
using the lowest possible concentration of an
antimicrobial that will prevent the growth of bacteria,
ensuring the drug used is specific to that bacterium
and used only when absolutely necessary. This is
becoming a worldwide trend. Personalised medicine
means selecting the right drug at the right dose for
the identified animal(s) or farm – this make