A team of international researchers has sounded the alarm on a potential pandemic stemming from antimicrobial resistance in animals used for food, particularly in Southeast Asia. The study, published in the International Journal of Food Science and Technology, highlights the risk of deadly superbugs spreading from animals to humans, posing a significant threat to global public health and food security.

According to Rajaraman Eri, associate dean of biosciences and food technology at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology in Australia, “There is a big pandemic waiting to happen in the form of antimicrobial resistance. We’re going to face a situation in the world where we will run out of antibiotics. That means we will not be able to treat infections.”

The World Health Organization estimates that drug-resistant diseases could cause up to 10 million deaths annually by 2050. The study identifies Asia, particularly Southeast Asia, as a hot spot for antimicrobial resistance in animals. The region hosts a vast population of livestock, including billions of chickens and millions of ducks, cattle, buffalo, pigs, sheep, and goats.

While these animals provide essential economic and nutritional benefits to local communities, they also present a significant risk in terms of antimicrobial resistance. The overuse and misuse of antimicrobial drugs, especially for growth promotion in healthy animals, have accelerated the rate of resistance.

Co-author Charmaine Lloyd notes that “on the farm, the presence of antibiotics in food, soil, water runoff, and animal waste can contribute to this resistance developing. Since resistant bacteria in animals may be transferred to humans through the food chain or by direct contact, this transmission pathway highlights the connection between human and animal health, emphasizing the need to address antimicrobial resistance in food animals.”

The study highlights the need to create a distinction between antimicrobial resistance and residue in food animals. Both issues pose risks to human health, with growing concern over the consumption of products containing antimicrobial residues.

To address these challenges, the research team has proposed six recommendations for policymakers in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). These recommendations include:

1. Recognizing the difference between residue and resistance
2. Fostering regional collaboration
3. Implementing country-specific awareness campaigns and regulations
4. Promoting international cooperation
5. Strengthening public health systems
6. Investing in research for alternative antimicrobial solutions and sustainable farming practices

The ASEAN member states, including Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam, must work together to address the threat of antimicrobial resistance in food animals and prevent a potential pandemic.