Lesson 3
Good Production Practice #3
Use Antibiotics Responsibly.
Objective
• This lesson will help you:
– Identify principles and guidelines for the responsible use of
antibiotics
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Responsible Antibiotic Use
• Antibiotic
– Produced by mold or bacteria
– Prevents growth or kills bacteria
• Antimicrobial
– Produced in a laboratory
– Prevents growth or kills bacteria
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Responsible Antibiotic Use
• Responsible antibiotic use helps prevent antibiotic
resistance
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Responsible Antibiotic Use
• Benefits:
– Health and well-being of
animals
– Food safety
– Human health
• Antibiotics do NOT
replace good management or
proper animal care!
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Responsible Antibiotic Use
• Treatment of illness
– When an antibiotic is used in animals to help overcome an illness
• Prevention of bacterial infection when:
– Animals have been exposed to a bacterial infection
– Animals are currently exposed to bacterial infection
– There is a history of a disease in an operation
• Improve nutritional efficiency:
– In certain cases antibiotics are used to improve
animals’ feed conversion
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Principles and Guidelines
• Take steps to decrease the need for
antibiotics
• Determine the advantages and
disadvantages of using antibiotics
• Use antibiotics only when benefits are
measurable
• Always use professional veterinary
input
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Principles and Guidelines
• Only use antibiotics following
an appropriate clinical
diagnosis
• Limit antibiotic treatment to sick
or at-risk animals
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Principles and Guidelines
• Antibiotics that are important in treating
antibiotic resistant infections in human or
veterinary medicine should only be used in
animals after careful review and
reasonable justification
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Principles and Guidelines
• Mixing together animal health
products, including antibiotics, by
producers is illegal
• Proper handling, storage and
disposal of medication and
medicated feed is important to
minimize environmental
contamination
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Principles and Guidelines
• Prevention is the key
–
–
–
–
–
Implement biosecurity plan
Proper animal care
Hygiene
Routine health monitoring
Vaccination programs
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Take-Home Message
• Follow responsible antibiotic use
guidelines
• Consult your veterinarian before
using antibiotics
• Implement a herd health plan to
help reduce the need for
antibiotics
• As a pork producer it is your
responsibility to use antibiotics
properly
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Summary
• If you follow principles and guidelines for the responsible
use of antibiotics you may help prevent antibiotic
resistance.
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Youth Pork Quality Assurance
Plus
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