Working together to combat the spread of antibiotic resistance The BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment participates in an interdisciplinary monitoring approach.
What it's about:
Human medicine, veterinary medicine and the environmental sector must work together to combat antibiotic resistance – this is not a new insight. But how often are which antibiotics used and where? And which bacteria carry which resistances? Such fundamental data must be collected across sectors and linked together in order to effectively stop the spread of resistance. This is precisely the goal of the OHIS group, in which the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment) is also involved. "The investigation of bacteria along the food chain and the provision of resistance data has long been one of our core tasks," says BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment President Professor Dr Andreas Hensel. “This makes it all the more important to analyse and assess our data together with data from human medicine and the environmental sector. The only way to effectively limit the spread of antibiotic resistance is to take this joint perspective.” As part of World Antibiotic Resistance Awareness Week (WAAW), the OHIS group will meet next Thursday, 20 November, for a one-day specialist event to present existing activities and strengthen further cooperation.
OHIS stands for One Health Integrated Surveillance, i.e. the monitoring of antibiotic resistance in the sense of a holistic, interdisciplinary One Health strategy. In addition to the BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), the Friedrich Loeffler Institute (FLIshort forFriedrich Loeffler Institute), the Federal Environment Agency (UBAshort forGerman Environment Agency) and the German Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety (BVLshort forGerman Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety) are also involved in the network.
The group was formed in 2023 as part of the government's External Link:German Antibiotic Resistance Strategy (DART 2030). DART 2030 outlines six areas of action for halting the spread of antibiotic resistance at national level and through international cooperation. In addition to prevention, the appropriate use of antibiotics, research and development, "surveillance and monitoring" is one of the key areas of action. The aim of interdisciplinary surveillance is, among other things, to identify trends and developments in antibiotic resistance so that targeted measures can be taken at an early stage and subsequently assessed. One of the goals of DART 2030 is for the OHIS group to set up a website linking data from the individual sectors.
The BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment is involved in various aspects of the fight against antibiotic resistance. For example, the institute is home to the External Link:National Reference Laboratory (NRL) for Antibiotic Resistance. Its most important task is to collect comparable data on antibiotic resistance in zoonotic agents and other bacteria that pose a hazard to public health. The results are summarised in the annual zoonosis report and forwarded to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSAshort forEuropean Food Safety Authority). Since 2023, this and other monitoring data has also been made available to experts and the interested public via the External Link:ZooNotify internet portal.
Another key activity of the BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment is the collection and assessment of antibiotic consumption quantities in cattle, pigs, chickens and turkeys, as well as the frequency of treatment in certain animal production types. The annual evaluation of the data forms the basis for the competent authorities to take measures to protect consumers.
The OHIS meeting, to which the Federal Ministry of Health (BMG), the Ministry of Agriculture (BMLEH) and the Ministry of the Environment (BMUKN) are also invited, is organised by the BVLshort forGerman Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety and supports the motto of this year's WAAW, "Act Now: Secure Our Present, Protect Our Future."
Further information on the use of antibiotics and the development of resistance
Topic page on the use of antibiotics in livestock
External Link:https://www.bfr.bund.de/en/food-safety/assessment-of-microbial-risks-in-foods/use-of-antibiotics-in-livestock/
Topic page on antibiotic resistance
External Link:https://www.bfr.bund.de/en/research/research-fields/microbiology/antibiotic-resistance/
Zoonotify
External Link:https://zoonotify.bfr.berlin/explanations?lang=en
About the BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment
The German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment) is a scientifically independent institution within the portfolio of the German Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Regional Identity (BMLEH). It protects people's health preventively in the fields of public health and veterinary public health. The BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment provides advice to the Federal Government as well as the Federal States (‘Laender’) on questions related to food, feed, chemical and product safety. The BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment conducts its own research on topics closely related to its assessment tasks.