There has been a lot of attention on antibiotic resistance in recent years and months, and rightly so. Antibiotic resistance is a serious issue, and antibiotic use – in both human and animal medicine – is a popular topic that affects everyone, including you.

The second video in our info series on this issue explains that antibiotic resistance is when bacteria stop responding, or don’t respond as well, to antibiotics. This means that a greater number of illnesses are becoming harder to treat. It’s a serious concern, but it’s important to remember that resistance is very different from residues, which we talked about in a previous video.

Resistant bacteria were around long before antibiotics [1], but any antibiotic use in humans or animals can contribute to the development of resistant bacteria. Because of this, the responsibility of resistance issues is shared between human and animal medicine.

For their part, Canadian chicken farmers are implementing a strategy – now – to ensure that antibiotics are used responsibly to protect animal health. And the entire chicken industry is working hard to reduce use, research alternatives and educate both farmers and consumers.

You’d be surprised to learn just how stringent the rules and regulations for chickens raised in Canada really are. To learn more, check out our “Antibiotics” page on our website!

[1] K. Bhullar, N. Waglechner, A. Pawlowski, K. Koteva, E. D. Banks, M. D. Johnston, H. A. Barton and G. D. Wright, “Antibiotic Resistance Is Prevalent in an Isolated Cave Microbiome,” PLoS one, vol. 7, no. 4, pp. 1-11, 2012.