Will Overusing Animal Antibiotics Trigger the Next Public Health Emergency?

By 2050, antimicrobial resistance is projected to cause livestock losses that jeopardise the food security of two billion people globally and result in a $100 trillion economic loss if urgent action is not taken, according to the first report on world’s animal health published by World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) on May 23, 2025.

The report also underscored that pathogens were increasingly resistant to treatment, with some no longer responding to antimicrobial drugs.

AMR occurs when pathogens such as bacteria, viruses, fungi or other disease-causing agents, evolve to resist drugs that were once effective against infections. Overuse and misuse of antimicrobials in both agriculture and healthcare, amplifies this process. For instance, fluoroquinolones make up 15.8% of antimicrobials used in aquaculture, raising concerns about critical antibiotics in aquatic environments, reported Down To Earth.

Antibiotic Overuse Spurs Resistance

AMR was identified as one of the one of the serious threats to global health, food security and economic stability.

Meanwhile, around a fifth of WOAH members reported using antimicrobials as growth promoters despite the organisation’s recommendation against the practice. Among these, 7 %used antimicrobials classified as highest-priority critically important to human health, including colistin, enrofloxacin and fosfomycin.

“The indiscriminate use of antimicrobials contributes to antimicrobial resistance (AMR), which is a major threat to both animal and human health,” said Javier Yugueros-Marcos, Head of the Antimicrobial Resistance and Veterinary Products Department at WOAH.

However, the report indicated that antimicrobial use in animals fell by 5% between 2020 and 2022. According to Down To Earth, Europe witnessed the biggest decline of 23%, followed by Africa at 20%.

“The declining use of antibiotics in almost all regions is encouraging, but further reductions can be achieved by prioritising preventative measures against animal diseases, with vaccination as an essential component of these,” Marcos added.

The report also cited that climate change and increased trade among the factors influencing the spread and prevalence of animal diseases. Many are preventable through a combination of vaccination, improved hygiene and biosecurity measures, but the report noted that access to animal vaccines remains uneven around the world.