Children in different parts of the world are dying due to antibiotic resistant bacteria, and some experts are blaming careless antibiotic use on farm animals as part of the cause.
A new study found that more children are becoming infected by superbugs, or bacteria resistant to antibiotics used to treat farm animals, meaning their infections can no longer be treated using traditionally prescribed antibiotics. This makes treatment harder because of the drug resistance vastly limits the number of treatment option available for already vulnerable patient population.
"Children can come into contact with these organisms that are resistant, and if that contact results in an infection, then those infections are extremely difficult to treat," Dr. Jerome Paulson of the American Academy of Pediatrics and one of the study's lead authors said.
There are several ways children can acquire these infections. Eating food infected by superbugs, for example, or by touching and being in the same environment as the infected animal. While most children don't necessarily become ill after coming in contact with sick animals, those who do get sick often become seriously ill, mainly because these children are the ones with already compromised immune systems.
Some good examples would be children who are immunocompromised due to an inherent immune system deficiency disorder or cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.
"If they become infected with these multiply-resistant organisms, then their treatment [becomes] even more difficult," Paulson said.
Researchers also found out that more than two million children in the U.S. become infected with resistant bacteria, and more than 23,000 patients succumb to these infections.
Around 60 percent of the antibiotics given to farm animals are also used to treat humans. The researchers found that, much like with humans, antibiotics use on animals can also end up being abused, especially since most antibiotics for animals do not need prescription.
Even worse, antibiotics are sometimes used by farmers to promote livestock growth, the researchers found out.
To conclude, researchers recommend that antibiotic use in animals should also be regulated to prevent proliferation of superbugs through them.
The findings of this study will be published in the upcoming issue of the journal Pediatrics.
