The FAO Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance 2021–2025


Book Description

Due to antimicrobial resistance (AMR), drug-resistant infections are placing an ever-increasing burden on human, animal, plant, and environmental health. Drug-resistant infections have the potential to become leading causes of death. AMR may force tens of millions more people into extreme poverty, hunger, and malnutrition, and the associated economic losses are projected at several percent of gross domestic product. However, we can prevent this from happening – if we act quickly. This document outlines the FAO Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance 2021–2025 which serves as a roadmap for focusing global efforts to address AMR in the food and agriculture sectors. The aim of this plan is to help accelerate progress in developing and implementing multi-sectoral National Action Plans to tackle AMR by calling attention to strategic priorities and areas of expertise for FAO support. The action plan was developed by a multidisciplinary FAO team to ensure that all relevant dimensions – including terrestrial and aquatic animal health and production, crop production, food and feed safety, genetic resources, natural resource management, risk communication, and behavior change - are considered, with attention to regulatory frameworks, standards, norm-setting and bottom-up processes of collective action. By working together, food systems, livelihoods, and economies will be better protected from the destabilizing forces of untreatable illness.




Combating Antimicrobial Resistance and Protecting the Miracle of Modern Medicine


Book Description

The National Strategy for Combating Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria, published in 2014, sets out a plan for government work to mitigate the emergence and spread of resistant bacteria. Direction on the implementation of this strategy is provided in five-year national action plans, the first covering 2015 to 2020, and the second covering 2020 to 2025. Combating Antimicrobial Resistance and Protecting the Miracle of Modern Medicine evaluates progress made against the national strategy. This report discusses ways to improve detection of resistant infections and estimate the risk to human health from environmental sources of resistance. In addition, the report considers the effect of agricultural practices on human and animal health and animal welfare and ways these practices could be improved, and advises on key drugs and diseases for which animal-specific test breakpoints are needed.





Book Description




Evaluation of FAO’s role and work on antimicrobial resistance (AMR)


Book Description

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is the ability of microorganisms to fight antimicrobial compounds, reducing the efficacy of treating diseases in humans, animals, and plants. AMR risk is outpacing human population growth, owing to misuse of antimicrobials in large quantities in food systems, and is a serious threat to food security and sustainable development. FAO, with the World Health Organization (WHO), the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), is supporting countries in developing and implementing their One Health National Action Plans on AMR. The eventual aim is to ensure sustainable use of antimicrobials to minimize AMR risks, in alignment with the Global Action Plan on AMR. The scope of the evaluation covers FAO’s entire work on AMR up to early 2020 and its role in the global AMR architecture. It examines FAO’s organizational and institutional set-up for AMR work. FAO has a strong mandate to work on AMR, implementing activities in 45 countries and providing far-reaching support on AMR National Action Plans (NAPs). FAO’s technical expertise is a key comparative advantage in its work on AMR. It is underpinned by the strong scientific grounding of FAO’s work, engendered in its AMR working groups and supported by its collaboration with research centers, universities, and the Tripartite organizations. Nevertheless, the work is relatively recent and, given the long impact pathways, it has had limited results. A comprehensive strategic and programmatic approach would increase the likelihood of achieving results in combating AMR. FAO should prioritize its work in a long-term strategy on AMR that recognizes the seriousness of the threat and is fully integrated into the Organization’s Strategic Framework. The strategy should set out FAO’s long-term role in combating AMR and that of its divisions and offices, as well as its approach at the country and regional level. FAO should consolidate its work on AMR through a strong programmatic approach with a central coordination and management structure that links with the Regional Offices and is supported by dedicated core funding.




Guidelines on monitoring antimicrobial use at the farm level


Book Description

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a major health threat to humans, animals, plants and the environment. One of the key drivers of AMR is the misuse and overuse of antimicrobials in animal production, including in aquaculture. Therefore, monitoring the use of antimicrobials in farm animals is essential to mitigate AMR. The World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH, founded as OIE) has been collecting data, mainly coming from national sales and imports records of antimicrobials, from its members on antimicrobial agents intended for use in animals since 2015. To complement this information and improve decision-making, farm-level antimicrobial use (AMU) data are needed, as it allows for better understanding of how antimicrobials are used in the field. Therefore, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (FAO RAP), the WOAH Regional Representation for Asia and the Pacific (WOAH RRAP) and the WOAH Sub-Regional Representation for South-East Asia (WOAH SRR-SEA) developed a joint guideline on Monitoring antimicrobial use at the farm level. The guideline provides detailed guidance on establishing a farm-level AMU monitoring system: conducting a situational analysis; establishing an operational mechanism; technical preparation. The recommendations cover both terrestrial and aquatic food-producing animals and consider the wide range of AMU monitoring capacities in Asia and the Pacific and beyond. The target users of this guideline are the competent authorities, research institutions and agrifood industry actors who plan to develop or improve an AMU monitoring system at the farm level.




FAO publications catalogue 2022


Book Description

This catalogue aims to improve the dissemination and outreach of FAO’s knowledge products and overall publishing programme. By providing information on its key publications in every area of FAO’s work, and catering to a range of audiences, it thereby contributes to all organizational outcomes. From statistical analysis to specialized manuals to children’s books, FAO publications cater to a diverse range of audiences. This catalogue presents a selection of FAO’s main publications, produced in 2021 or earlier, ranging from its global reports and general interest publications to numerous specialized titles. In addition to the major themes of agriculture, forestry and fisheries, it also includes thematic sections on climate change, economic and social development, and food safety and nutrition




University curriculum assessment on the learning outcomes related to antimicrobial resistance: Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Biotechnology at the Kyrgyz National Agrarian University named after K.I. Skryabin


Book Description

The Strengthening Veterinary Education on Antimicrobial Resistance series compiles assessment reports of veterinary education institutions, detailing strengths and areas for improvement in the institutions’ curricula, and recommendations to enhance their education on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) learning outcomes. Data was gathered through assessments performed using the Ohio State University's "Evaluation Tool to Assess AMR Learning Outcomes". This issue of the series summarizes the findings of the assessment conducted at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Biotechnology at the Kyrgyz National Agrarian University named after K.I. Skryabin in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.




Antimicrobial resistance monitoring and surveillance guidelines for food-producing animals and their products in Eastern Africa


Book Description

This publication is a building block of the Eastern Africa antimicrobial resistance (AMR) surveillance roadmap that was described in April 2019, by AMR experts from Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Sudan and Uganda. [Author] The roadmap is presented in chapter six of this document. [Author] The national AMR experts came together in a regional meeting organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and also attended by other national, regional and international organizations such as the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)-Kenya, University of Nairobi (UON), Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), World Animal Protection (WAP) and African Union-Interagency Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR). [Author] The aim of the roadmap is to set out the processes, tools and coordination that technical experts and decision-makers from within national governments in East Africa agreed should be undertaken at regional level to support development and implementation of national AMR surveillance strategies and plans. [Author]




Monitoring and surveillance of antimicrobial resistance in bacterial pathogens from aquaculture


Book Description

The guidelines provide a regional overview of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) surveillance in aquaculture, including the importance of harmonizing methodologies across the region (Chapter 1). The guidelines also cover approaches to the design of AMR surveillance in aquaculture, from identifying the target population to sampling considerations (Chapter 2). Sample consideration and transport are described in detail, following standing methodologies for disease surveillance in aquaculture (Chapter 3). The laboratory methods are described, from general principles to specific methodologies (Chapter 4). Finally, the guidelines also describe AMR data management including collection, storage, analysis, and presentation (Chapter 5). While Volume 3 provides guidance for carrying out AMR monitoring and surveillance in aquaculture, the other areas in the AMR surveillance framework are covered in the respective volumes of this regional guideline series: Volume 1 (Monitoring and surveillance of antimicrobial resistance in bacteria from healthy food animals intended for consumption), Volume 2 (Monitoring and surveillance in animal pathogens recovered from diseased livestock); Volume 4 (Monitoring bacterial resistance in the animal environment) that will focus on monitoring AMR in bacteria from agriculture settings (such as manure and slurry in livestock farms and aquatic environments), Volume 5 (Monitoring antimicrobial usage in animals at the farm level) and Volume 6 (Monitoring antimicrobial residues in food). Experts from FAO, the Singapore Food Agency and the Singapore National Parks Board led the writing of this volume.




Livestock and its role in the emergence, spread, and evolution of antimicrobial resistance: Animal-to-human or animal-to-environment transmission


Book Description

The occurrence of multidrug-resistant bacterial pathogens (e.g., Enterobacterales and nonfermenting Gram-negative bacilli) to critically important antimicrobials such as carbapenems and colistin, last-resort antimicrobials, is a global multifactorial problem that involves animal–food–environmental–human sectors, which requires coordinated One Health and Global Health actions. The raising of food-producing animals has been increasing worldwide due to the rapid increase in demand for livestock products driven by human population growth. Consequently, the intensive use of antimicrobials in this sector has been associated with an increase in antimicrobial resistance. In this regard, the concerns associated with animal-to-human or animal-to-environment transmission of bacteria, including zoonotic pathogens, or plasmid-mediated antimicrobial resistance genes have increased in the last decade.