INTRODUCTION
The Council of the CVO has as its mission “To guide, govern and inspire excellence
in the profession through partnerships with veterinarians and the public in the service
of society”. Accordingly, its 2017 Strategic Framework identified four key objectives,
including to “Advance One Health stewardship enabling public health initiatives within
veterinary medicine”. This objective highlights the importance of the intersection of
public health, animal health and, in this case, veterinary medicine. The government and
public discourse on antibiotic resistance in human health is ever present and mounting,
particularly at a national level with the release of the Report of the Auditor General
of Canada on Antimicrobial Resistance1. A logical question is what is the veterinary
contribution to a solution that would reduce identified risks?
While not a complete conversation on the topic on antibiotic prescribing patterns and
animal care, the CVO initiative provided a focused “kick-start” to a larger conversation
within the veterinary profession in Ontario.
Advance One Health stewardship
enabling public health initiatives
within veterinary medicine.
Strategy 2017
College of Veterinarians of
Ontario
The College, recognizing its unique public interest contribution, saw an opportunity to
create a dialogue with food-producing animal veterinarians to consider what actions
might advance progress on the antibiotic prescribing practises of veterinarians. This
project is viewed as an important step for collaborative thinking within the profession,
including leading to specific suggested actions which could influence and advance
solutions to this challenge of antibiotic resistance. While the majority of the ideas
generated and discussed may not be resolved within the College’s jurisdiction,
leadership on public interest matters is paramount.
Antimicrobial pharmaceutical products form an essential component of modern
veterinary and human health care. As such, all veterinarians share the responsibility with
human health practitioners in addressing the problem of the potential impact on human
and animal health as antibiotic resistance develops in common bacterial pathogens and
antibiotics become less effective. Every use of an antibiotic increases the possibility
for the development of resistance and further promotes the dissemination of resistant
bacteria and resistance genes.
If the development of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) continues unchecked, antimicrobial
compounds will lose their effectiveness, and currently treatable ailments might again
become intractable. The continued emergence of resistant bacteria, along with a lack of
new antimicrobials on the market, poses a worldwide human health threat.
Resistant bacteria carried by food-producing animals can spread to people through
the consumption of inadequately cooked food, handling of raw food or by crosscontamination with other foods, through the environment (e.g. contaminated water)
and through direct animal contact. Antimicrobial residues and resistance genes can
enter the environment through the application of manure to fields. This environmental
dissemination can impact the surrounding ecosystem, sympatric wildlife and neighboring
human communities. Antimicrobials in feed are often water-soluble, with up to 90% of
the dose administered excreted in urine, and up to 75% excreted in feces. It has been
demonstrated that medication protocols on beef feedlots can impact wastewater levels of
tetracycline resistance genes. Also, antibiotic resistant Escherichia coli (E. coli) has been
detected in small mammals trapped near swine farms.
The Canadian Integrated Program for Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance (CIPARS),
operated through the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), monitors trends in
antimicrobial use and antimicrobial resistance in selected bacterial organisms from
human, animal and food sources across Canada. The program is based on several
representative and methodologically unified surveillance components that can be linked
to examine the relationship between antimicrobials used in food-animals and humans and
the associated health impacts. This information supports: (i) the creation of evidencebased policies to control antimicrobial use in hospital, community, and agricultural
settings and thus prolong the effectiveness of these drugs, and (ii) the identification
of appropriate measures to contain the emergence and spread of resistant bacteria
between animals, food, and people in Canada2.
1
2
College of Veterinarians of Ontario
http://www.oag-bvg.gc.ca/internet/English/parl_oag_201504_01_e_40347.html
http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/cipars-picra/index-eng.php
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