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  • Increasing antimicrobial resistace awareness through community converations
    Written by Mamusha Lemma, Biruk Alemu, Mesfin Mekonnen and Barbara Wieland   Community conversations in Menz Gera, Ethiopia (photo credit:ILRI/Mamusha) In Ethiopia, improved access to veterinary drugs has led to their increasing use in food-producing animals. But the use of these drugs in livestock is rarely supervised by trained veterinarians and livestock keepers often do not know how the drugs work or how they should be used to achieve the intended effect. Veterinary services in the country focus on preventive vaccination and treatment of sick animals. The animal health extension service that ought to educate and advise community members about integrated animal health management strategies is limited. Community members, including livestock keepers, have limited access to animal health education, advisory and training services. As a result, livestock keepers often buy veterinary drugs from roadside markets and self-treat their animals without considering the consequences of administering these drugs themselves. Most of these small-scale farmers have limited knowledge of the link between misuse of veterinary drugs and the emergence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), which results in treatment failures in animals and humans. To address this knowledge and information gap, the CGIAR Research Program on Livestock in Ethiopia tested a community-based animal health extension approach using ‘community conversations’ to engage community members and local service providers in collaborative learning and joint action processes to increase AMR awareness. The research team facilitated conversations in two livestock program sites (Yabello District in Borana Zone of Oromia Region and Menz Gera District in the Amhara Region). About 116 (50 female) community members and local animal health service providers participated in a facilitated dialogue and social learning process. It explored the perspectives and practices of community members about the use of antimicrobials use and AMR.  Access to veterinary and animal health extension services plays an important role in increasing awareness and knowledge of men and women community members about antimicrobial resistance. In Yabello, due to limited access to veterinary and animal health extension services, livestock keepers said they self-treat their animals using different treatment options.From the conversations, it emerged that community members use a stepwise approach to treating sick animals. First, they treat sick animals with traditional medicines. If these do not work, then they buy drugs from veterinary pharmacies or roadside markets to give their animals. A male participant in Yabello said that they call on community animal health workers for help ‘only when we have difficulty or when self-treated animals don’t respond to drugs', and that is also the time they may opt to go to a veterinary clinic. Most community members initially found it difficult to conceptualize or describe AMR when asked to describe the problem. Upon further probing, they described situations where drugs do not work and where diseases tolerate drugs. A male participant said, ‘we have noted that some animals don’t get cured even after long-term treatment.’ The need for developing the capacity of local animal health service providers so that they can effectively communicate with community members and provide them with advisory and mentoring support was evident. While the technical areas of antimicrobials use and resistance were not new to local partners, they found communicating these issues with community members in understandable terms challenging. In both sites, local partners recognized the role of community conversations in facilitating collaborative learning and helping in the co-creation of concepts and expressions that are meaningful to community groups. A research partner in Yabello said, ‘I never thought that communicating with community members would be challenging. I have learned that communicating technical messages in understandable way requires communication skills and understanding the recipients' thinking frame and reasoning.’ In addition to raising awareness of community members about antimicrobial resistance, the community conversations strengthened the capacity of local animal health service providers. Local partners practised facilitating deeper levels of reflection and learning among community groups by contextualizing technical issues and, in the process, they learned from the experiences of community groups. New learning and insights into an issue in question happens through dialogic and self-reflective practice, which results in attitudinal change and motivation to act. Read the full report on community conversations on antimicrobials use and resistance
    Thursday, January 23, 2020 - 15:42
  • Quick Q&A with newly appointed head of CGIAR AMR Hub, Arshnee Moodley
    Arshnee Moodley, talks about CGIAR AMR Hub  (photo credit: ILRI/Chi Nguyen). CGIAR AMR Hub is pleased to welcome Arshnee Moodley, an associate professor from the University of Copenhagen in Denmark to lead the CGIAR AMR Hub hosted and led by ILRI. Having completed her undergraduate degree in 2002 from the University of Witwatersrand, South Africa and received her PhD from the University of Copenhagen, Denmark in 2008, she has spent 12 years supervising and teaching students at the University of Copenhagen on infection microbiology, antimicrobial resistance, bacterial typing and non-antibiotic alternatives. ILRI’s bioscience writer, Ekta Patel caught up with her on some quick Q&A’s to get to know her a little better and to better understand her vision for the CGIAR AMR Hub.    Ekta: Arshnee, I would like to begin by congratulating you on taking on this new position and to say that we are very excited to have you join the CGIAR AMR Hub. I wanted to know a little more about why you took on this role which is quite different to what you may be used too?  Arshnee: Thank you very much. I was interested in this position because personally after spending 14 years at the University of Copenhagen I wanted change and a new challenge. Moreover, after learning so much about antimicrobial resistance and how to mitigate antimicrobial resistance in Denmark, who have been on the forefront of addressing this global threat, I want to take all my knowledge and experience and contribute to AMR controlling on my home continent, where the challenges are very different to those in Europe.    Ekta: As an associate professor, you have been carrying out your own research, what are some of the latest projects you have been working on ?  Arshnee: In last five years, I have been mainly involved in projects centered on discovering novel antimicrobial solutions for animals namely; TRAIN-ASAP and CARTNET, which are two Marie Curie funded early stage training networks. In particular, I was involved in the bacteriophage projects. A third project is Antibiophage, another EU funded project to develop and test a bacteriophage cocktail to treat colibacillosis in poultry. At UCPH, we developed eight cocktails, which in December 2019 we tested two for their in vivo efficacy.  Ekta: What are you most concerned about when it comes to AMR in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs)?  Arshnee: In high income countries like Denmark  and other EU countries, AMR is an important topic that has been on the animal and human health agenda for more than 20 years. For this reason a number of initiatives and policies are in place to reduce antimicrobial use e.g. ban or restrictions of certain antibiotics, perform routine AM use and AMR surveillance, and investments in AMR research e.g. discovery of new antimicrobial solutions. Unfortunately, in LMICs, AMR is yet another complex health challenge that is further impeded by the fact that it is faceless and insidious problem. In LMICs we also  don’t fully understand the circulating AMR levels in animal and human populations, nor do we know about the quantity and quality of antibiotics that are available and for what purpose  it is being used in agricultural systems.  Ekta: The CGIAR AMR Hub serves as a platform and a focal point to disseminate information on AMR with our CG partners and with those in the regional and national level. How do you propose we harmonize these various pockets of information from the different partners?  Arshnee: To tackle AMR, we ultimately need to change peoples’ attitudes and behavior in all facets of our society that can only be accomplished through awareness and education. As scientists, we have a social responsibility to share our research and inform the greater public. My ambition is that the CGIAR AMR Hub collates all our AMR research supplement with other research and package this information to be shared not only with those that can bring about the necessary changes e.g. policy makers but also through active engagement and education of our veterinarians, doctors, pharmacists and the public. Ekta: What is your vision for the CGIAR AMR Hub and what are some of the things that the partners can expect in the coming years?  Arshnee: My vision is that the Hub is recognized in the CG system and amongst our global partners as the “go to” place for AMR knowledge and expertise in agriculture in LMICs. Furthermore, we are establishing a state-of-the-art antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) laboratory that will available to all our partners, with the goal to support our AMR projects and assist our regional partners. Accurately performed AST is crucial for treatment decisions, AMR surveillance and evaluating the effects of any interventions. Read her bio here  
    Wednesday, January 8, 2020 - 15:43
  • AMR Newsletter Issue 3
    The following newsletter provides access and overview of the communication content of the CGIAR AMR hub led by ILRI that has been developed with our scientific partners for this quarter The following blog posts have been developed:  World Bank report says ‘AMR-smart’ solutions need to beat superbugs and ensure a healthier future Swedish University of Agricultural Science researchers behind international manual on antibiotics Understanding context specific AMR interventions with experts representing different scientific disciplines Antimicrobial Resistance through the eyes of journalists in Kenya The following videos have been developed related to AMR by partners Bacteriophage-based alternatives to antibiotics to tackle Salmonella in poultry farms in Kenya, featuring ILRI scientists, Nicholas Svitek and Nicoline de Haan, by IDRC|CRDI Media Attention Antibiotic resistance: Africa Needs to increase investments by Sharon Atieno from Science Africa  Kenya at the centre of Africa’s Antibiotic resistance fight, by Kimani Chege for the Exchange  It will take joint efforts to beat antibiotic resistance by Lucy Mwangi at the Daily Nation Ways to avoid unnecessary antibiotics by the People Daily Over the counter drugs fuel deadly antibiotics resistance by Lilian Kaivilu at People Daily For others, natural, herb-based antibiotics are preferred solutions by Grace Wachira at People’s Daily  Concerns over increasing cases of antibiotic resistance, by Kenya Broadcasting Corporation who attended a media breakfast and had the opportunity to interview stakeholders such as Yewande Alimi, the AMR coordinator for Africa Centre for Disease Control. Review research highlights under the five pillars: AM use Transmission dynamics Interventions Policy Capacity In other news:  Arshnee Moodley has been appointed as the CGIAR AMR Hub Team Lead and joined the Hub in November 2019.  The website will continue to undergo changes as we move into 2020 to ensure easier navigation, additional links to partner sites to enhance transparency Contact me or amrhub@cgiar.org  for additional information                                                               ###
    Monday, December 30, 2019 - 08:52
  • Antimicrobial resistance through the eyes of journalists in Kenya
    Written by Ekta Patel    Participants at the CGIAR AMR hub media sensitization (photo credit: ILRI/Paul Karaimu) In the lead up to the World Antibiotic Awareness Week 2019 (#WAAW2019), which is celebrated every year in November, the CGIAR AMR Hub at the International Livestock research Institute (ILRI) jointly with Kenya's ministries of Health and Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Irrigation hosted, at the ILRI campus in Nairobi, a media sensitization on raising antimicrobial resistance (AMR) awareness. Twenty-five journalists from a cross section of Kenya's media houses and magazine publishers attended the event and were joined by key speakers and observers from the Ministry of Health, the Directorate of Veterinary Services, the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) and the University of Nairobi (UONBI). Antibiotics are an essential part of treating human beings and animals; from the child who needs antibiotics to treat an infection from a graze in the knee, the elderly person who need antibiotics after a knee replacement surgery, to the sick cow in a farm that needs treatment. As Rudi Eggers, the World Health Organization (WHO) representative in Kenya says, 'antibiotics are an essential part of our health and we cannot do without them.' But AMR, which results from the overuse and misuse of antibiotics in both human and animal medicine, has led to a growing number of bacteria in humans, animals and the environment, that are resistant to antibiotics. AMR is now a serious threat to human and animal health. The ILRI-hosted media sensitization sought to relay accurate research-based information on the challenge posed by AMR to humans, animals and environments both in Kenya and globally and what is being done to tackle the problem. The media practitioners were targeted because of their role as intermediaries of information between AMR researchers and the public. The half-day interactive session shared updates on Kenya's progress in researching and tackling AMR and gave journalists the opportunity to ask key questions to a panel of experts to better understand the realities of AMR and how to communicate them to the public. Held on 15 November, the event was a curtain-raiser to the official launch of #WAAW2019 regional AMR awareness activities in Kenya. This year, Kenya hosted Africa’s first World Antibiotic Awareness Week on 18–24 November in a campaign supported by the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), the Food and Agriculture organization of the United Nations (FAO) and WHO. 'This session was extremely helpful,' said Nanjinia Wamuswa, a correspondent at the Standard Group PLC. ‘It has given me an upper hand on the knowledge of AMR, and I walked away with a lot of information about AMR from hearing it directly from the various stakeholders. I now realize that AMR is not just a Kenyan problem but rather a global issue and not addressing it can actually derail national efforts towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) including ending poverty, hunger and ensuring good health and well-being,’ he added. Wamuswa said the session brought together journalists and scientists working in AMR and representatives of government health and agriculture agencies who shared accurate information about the problem. 'I am now keen to visit farmer(s) to see how they manage livestock and crops and from the conversation – armed with knowledge of AMR – I can now relate to the problem. I will also gauge farmers’ awareness on AMR, on the use of antibiotics and also get field doctors to share their experiences on AMR so that I can better disseminate the messages about the need to prevent and tackle AMR.’ Gilbert Nkweya, a science and technology journalist at SciDev.net said the event provided a snapshot of what was being carried in the fight against AMR. ‘It was a really good chance to meet experts working on AMR and we got a chance to interview scientists from various institutions and government officials. It clarified confusion in reporting which is very important.’ Milliam Murigi, a mother and writer for People Daily, was grateful for such an informative discussion with scientists, clinical doctors and government officials. ‘I take antibiotics all the time at the slightest sign of a flu. I even carry them in my handbag. I did not realize that antibiotics cannot treat viral infections. I will no longer take antibiotics for the sake of it,' she said. She further added that she will be cautious and mindful of what is prescribed to her daughter. Several journalists who attended this event are parents who were surprised at how often they have been giving their children over-the-counter antibiotics, which are sadly often readily sold in many pharmacies without a prescription. While most said they would change the way they use antibiotics, the journalists also called for stricter limitations on the availability of over-the-counter antibiotics, an issue that the Ministry of Health is already looking into. The FAO's Africa regional representative Scott Newman, rightfully pointed out the need 'to improve our control of regulations, management and access to these antibiotics.’ Read more about #WAAW2019 celebration in Kenya: Antibiotic resistance: Africa Needs to increase investments by Sharon Atieno from Science Africa  Kenya at the centre of Africa’s Antibiotic resistance fight, by Kimani Chege for the Exchange  It will take joint efforts to beat antibiotic resistance by Lucy Mwangi at the Daily Nation Ways to avoid unnecessary antibiotics by the People Daily Over the counter drugs fuel deadly antibiotics resistance by Lilian Kaivilu at People Daily For others, natural, herb-based antibiotics are preferred solutions by Grace Wachira at People’s Daily  Concerns over increasing cases of antibiotic resistance, by Kenya Broadcasting Corporation who attended a media breakfast and had the opportunity to interview stakeholders such as Yewande Alimi, the AMR coordinator for Africa Centre for Disease Control. Watch AMR video released during #WAAW2019: Bacteriophage-based alternatives to antibiotic to tackle Salmonella in poultry farms in Kenya, featuring ILRI scientists, Nicholas Svitek and Nicoline de Haan by IDRC|CRDI Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) educational video created primarily for an East African audience, funded by UK BBSRC/GCRF Public engagement grant supported by CGIAR Agriculture for Nutrition and Health Program.
    Thursday, December 5, 2019 - 13:19
  • Understanding context specific AMR interventions with experts representing different scientific disciplines
    Written by Ekta Patel Participants at the AMR workshop at World Fish (photo credit:  A four-day antimicrobial resistance (AMR) workshop at WorldFish in Penang, Malaysia, from 7th to 10th October 2019 was conducted as part of the AMResilience Project. The first two days of the workshop aimed to inform the development of an AMR database platform for interventions, named AMRIntervene, and to validate factors that contribute to interventions that have successfully or less successfully addressed AMR. The last two workshop days aimed to create a visual model of the inter-related factors influencing AMR in the south east Asian food system context that will be used to explore how promising interventions, if implemented could impact AMR and other parts of the system in the future.  The AMRIntervene platform will offer an extensive resource on different interventions tackling AMR across the one health spectrum; such as human health sector, livestock, aquaculture and wastewater to name a few, allowing learning across sectors and disciplines about what works, for whom and in what contexts. CGIAR AMR Hub was represented at the workshop, with researchers from the International Water Management Institute (IWMI), the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) and WorldFish attending.  AMR is a multidimensional and complex problem and many stakeholders from different sectors are working to define the systems where AMR is generated and how it is spread. The Penang workshop brought together diverse perspectives representing human, animal and environmental sectors from South East Asia, who are traditionally and not traditionally engaged in discussions about AMR.  Together, participants identified the relevant causes and effects of AMR, as well as its generation and spread in South East Asia, interventions to address the problem, and validated the factors identified in the literature that are necessary to ensure interventions are effective and sustainable long into the future. As Barbara Wieland, leader of Herd Health project at ILRI described, ‘There are many immediate potential solutions to AMR and the objective of the meeting was to find the key solutions and interventions that will trigger major benefits at the lowest cost for various stakeholders.’ Javier Mateo-Sagasta, the research group leader for water, health and nutrition at IWMI called for more emphasis on understanding the environmental pathways, particularly the role of water systems in AMR occurrences and spread. He said, ‘water is an important vehicle and exposure pathway of both antimicrobials and resistant microorganisms’.  Chadag Vishnumurthy Mohan, principal scientist, Sustainable Aquaculture and Research Lead at WorldFish said, ‘finding alternatives for disease management in animal/fish food production systems and bringing practice, attitude and behaviour changes of key stakeholders including primary producers is fundamental to tackling AMR issues.’ Wieland said that the workshop’s discussions on prevention resilience and control resilience in agricultural production systems had highlighted the existing opportunities for linking intervention projects to make most of the efforts by researchers in different fields such as aquaculture, human health, livestock and food security. ‘Intervention research is one of the main pillars of the CGIAR AMR Hub,’ she said. ‘Currently the hub is reviewing different types of interventions with a PhD project focusing on interventions in aquaculture and a London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM)-led project investigating the typologies and impacts of interventions. She said these activities complement ongoing AMResilience project work.  The AMResilience project brings together a dynamic group of investigators from the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences (Sweden), the University of Waterloo (Canada), the University of Geneva (Switzerland), University of Guelph, and research partners the Public Health Agency of Canada and the Stockholm Resilience Centre. This three-year project is funded by the fifth call of Joint Programming Initiative on AMR (JPIAMR) to explore the factors determining resilience and facilitating transformation of antibiotic use and resistance across human health, agriculture and aquaculture within a high income region (Europe) and low-middle income region (South East Asia). The AMRIntervene database aims to be maintained long-term with other stakeholders. Barbara Wieland, Chadag Vishnumurthy Mohan and Javier Mateo-Sagasta are members of the CGIAR AMR hub management committee.  Click here for more information on the AMRIntervene database
    Thursday, December 5, 2019 - 12:44
  • Swedish University of Agricultural Science researchers behind international manual on antibiotics
    Ulf Magnusson This is a direct translation from the original article found on MyNewsDesk website The Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) participates in the launch of the manual “Prudent and efficient use of antimicrobials in pigs and poultry”, which aims to reduce the use of antibiotics in animal husbandry. The work on writing the manual is an assignment from FAO to SLU where professors Susanna Sternberg-Lewerin and Ulf Magnusson have led a working group with about ten international experts, including Swedish expertise from the Swedish Board of Agriculture and the Swedish Veterinary Medical Administration (SVA). - The manual is about how, by preventing diseases, you can reduce the need for antibiotics in animal husbandry, says Professor Ulf Magnusson, who was in Rome to present the manual. We have focused on poultry and pig breeding as it is where most antibiotics are used globally. The launch took place at the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization FAO headquarters in Rome. Also included was Sweden's ambassador to Italy, representatives from the Ministry of Industry, FAO's Deputy Director General and Chief Veterinarian. The launch is part of World Antibiotics Awareness Week which is now underway. The fact that SLU and Sweden have the confidence to lead the work on developing such a manual is because Sweden is a world leader in using small quantities of antibiotics and at the same time keeping healthy and highly productive animals, according to Ulf Magnusson. The manual is not just about disease prevention but also how to reduce antibiotic use through medically rational use. This includes not giving antibiotics for growth promotion, treating sick animals individually and avoiding antibiotics that are critical to human medicine. The manual is currently only available in English but will be translated into all FAO official languages ​​as the interest has become so large. The manual can be downloaded here: http://www.fao.org/documents/card/en/c/ca6729en/  Contact: Professor Ulf Magnusson, SLU tel 070-977 08 55
    Thursday, November 21, 2019 - 12:30
  • World Bank report says 'AMR-smart' solutions needed to beat superbugs and ensure a healthier future
    Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a silent pandemic that is a growing threat to public health leading to approximately 700,000 deaths each year and this number could increase to nearly 10 million deaths by 2050. The latest World Bank AMR report 'Pulling together to beat superbugs: knowledge and implementation gaps in addressing antimicrobial resistance' looks at seven case studies across the world which illustrate the critical need for contextualization in the efforts to curb AMR. According to the report, 'countries can make AMR-related investments more efficient and cost-effective by improving both technical capacity and data quality as well as enhancing inter-agency coordination and building public awareness of the AMR challenge'. By using country-based case studies and identifying the key knowledge and implementation gaps, the report lays out an agenda for the research community to move AMR knowledge from the laboratory to the real world by focusing on improving the effectiveness of interventions through policies, programs and practices. It calls on the development community to focus on ‘AMR-smart’ solutions that go beyond technical efforts that solely focus on the misuse of antimicrobials. The CGIAR AMR Hub, which is led by the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) has been applying a holistic approach to support the efforts of low- and middle-income countries (LIMCs) who bear the greatest burden of the AMR challenge. Of the 23 key knowledge and implementation gaps identified in the World Bank report, ‘Limited capacity to identify and measure potential co-benefits across a broad array of AMR-sensitive interventions in country-specific contexts’ stands out. While this is true, the CGIAR AMR Hub is already researching interventions that would reduce antimicrobial use in aquaculture systems in LIMCs. The external group of experts who provided inputs to this landmark report included individuals working at the CGIAR AMR Hub. Evelyn Wesangula (Ministry of Health, Kenya), Dieter Schillinger (ILRI/CGIAR), Jeff Waage (London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine) contributed to the report. Philip Amoah (IWMI/CGIAR) and Hung Nguyen(ILRI/CGIAR) reviewed the case studies in the report. Download the full English version report: World Bank. 2019. “Pulling together to beat superbugs: knowledge and implementation gaps in addressing antimicrobial resistance.” Washington, DC: World Bank.  Review Jonathan Wadsworth presentation on fighting superbugs: https://www.slideshare.net/ILRI/amr-jonathan  
    Monday, October 28, 2019 - 14:29
  • AMR Newsletter Issue 2
    By Ekta Patel The following newsletter provides access and overview of the content of the CGIAR AMR hub led by ILRI that has been developed with our scientific partners for this quarter The following research highlights have been captured under the five pillars: AM useEvaluating the antimicrobial resistance in the global shrimp industry Transmission dynamicsEpidemiology of antimicrobial resistance Escherichia coli carriage in sympatric humans and livestock in a rapidly urbanising city Interventions PolicyOne Health in Action: Operational Aspects of an integrated surveillance system for zoonoses in Western Kenya A cross-sectional survey of practices and knowledge among antibiotic retailers in Nairobi, Kenya Capacity   The following blog posts have been developed: Mitigating the risks of antimicrobial resistance in the poultry value chain in Uganda through #BuildUganda project Global maps of AMR in low- and middle-income countries reveal hotspots of resistance in animals AMR parallel session at ILRI’s Institute Planning Meeting 2019   The following videos have been developed related to AMR by partners Reducing antimicrobial resistance in Bangladesh aquaculture by World Fish includes a campaign to promote the Bengali version. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) educational video funded by UK BBSRC/GCRF led by Laura Falzon and Katie Hamilton who are part of the Zoonotic and Emerging Disease group based jointly between the University of Liverpool (UK) and the International Livestock Research Institute (Kenya). Both Laura Falzon and Katie Hamilton have been nominated for the University of Liverpool staff awards in the category of outstanding contribution to public engagement. In other news: The website had undergone some changes to capture research publications and improve navigation. We added an extra feature to push all articles to social media platform via twitter. Twitter feed shows that articles tagged to respective organizations, donors and partners received more attention. We encourage this as it brings added awareness to the partner community about the AMR hub. Supported the free online course by Future Learn and SLU on Effective Livestock Production with Low Use of Antibiotics via social media.  Supporting LSHTM to promote Antibiotics Resistance and Agricultural Transitions series of seminars from Prof. Ellen Silbergeld held every Tuesday of each month:Recommend that if these talks are recorded they are shared with me so as to place them on the CGIAR AMR website World Antibiotic Awareness Week (WAAW) will be held on the 18-24th November 2019. The CGIAR AMR hub plans to carry out activities which will be shared as events through the website   ###                                                                                                                      
    Sunday, October 6, 2019 - 10:06
  • AMR parallel session at ILRI’s Institute Planning Meeting 2019
    Barbara Wieland discussing AMR at ILRIs IPM 2019 Written by Ekta Patel Addis Ababa, Ethiopia- 17-19 September 2019, International Livestock Research Institute’s Planning Meeting was filled with various story tellers who embark on their journey to display how livestock played a role in their lives which tied in well with ILRI’s critical success factors. In addition to the stories, were parallel sessions where individuals from all divisions were free to participate. One such session was conducted on addressing a global problem - Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) to ILRI staff who may not be directly involved with AMR research activities nor understand the role of the CGIAR AMR hub.     Lead scientists presented a One Health approach to support the efforts of low- and middle-income countries to control agricultural associated AMR risks by facilitating and promoting trans-disciplinary partnerships which are the very heart of the strategy and critical for success founded on the five pillars. Through role play, participants had the opportunity to think through the main challenges on AMR by listening to the views from different stakeholders, discussing the role of the CGIAR AMR hub, broadly review the current and on-going research activities at partner institutes and address how these activities at ILRI and their partner organizations contribute towards achieving the goals and lastly address how the CGIAR AMR hub success could be measured.    Participants broke into three separate groups for constructive discussions and interestingly two messages resonated amongst all three groups which were the need to carry out baseline analysis and essentially carry out AMR surveillance of sorts to understand the extent of the problem in the various environments and interfaces between human and animals, and secondly need for regulatory bodies, governments and or respective ministries to be involved in rolling out policies which could lead to behavioral change.  
    Wednesday, September 25, 2019 - 14:43
  • Global maps of AMR in low- and middle-income countries reveal hotspots of resistance in animals
    Cows at ILRI farm Nairobi (Photo credit: ILRI/Paul Karaimu) Written by Ekta Patel   As reported last week by Maryn McKenna, a journalist and contributor for WIRED, the director of the center of disease dynamics, economics and policy in Washington, DC said recently that ‘everyone talks about antibiotics resistance in humans, but no one has been talking about antibiotic resistance in animals’. The comments were in response to the findings of a study looking at the trends of antimicrobial resistance in animals from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) that are poorly documented. Researchers used geospatial modeling to produce maps of AMR in LMICs and give policymakers a baseline for monitoring AMR levels in animals and target interventions in the regions most affected by the rise of resistance. The director, Ramanan Laxminarayan who is also the senior author on a recently published paper said that there are far more animals than humans on the planet, and they are essential for livelihoods across the developing world. He argued that if they were not able to treat sick animals, it would have a huge impact on global poverty. Journalist McKenna goes on to report the following: ‘Antibiotics are added to animals’ feed, accelerating their growth and preventing them from getting sick in crowded barns and feedlots. Possibly three-fourths of all the antibiotics dispensed in the world are used this way which is not at all how they are used in humans where the point of drugs is to cure infections, not prevent them. ‘The practice is risky because whenever antibiotics are deployed, the microbial world reacts to them with defensive mutations that protect bacteria from being killed. It is also troubling because the bacteria present in animals are the same ones – Salmonella, Camphylobacter, E.coli – that cause illness in humans. ‘If a drug loses its effectiveness on farms, it won’t work to cure a person’s infection either. ‘Laxminarayan and his colleagues were convinced that farm-created resistance was posing an equivalent danger to livestock, but unlike in humans medicine, there were no large data sources to help them prove it. Surveillance for resistance on farms is patchy and politically sensitive.’ Read the whole article by Maryn McKenna, Farm animals are the next big antibiotic resistance threat, at wired.com, 19 Sept 2019. Read the full publication, ‘Global trends in antimicrobial resistance in animals in low- and middle-income countries’   The CGIAR AMR hub, led by the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) is a platform that applies a One Health approach to support the efforts of low- and middle-income countries in controlling agriculture-associated AMR risks, by promoting and facilitating trans-disciplinary partnerships. 
    Monday, September 23, 2019 - 12:13

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