Alternatives to Antimicrobials

Abstract

The emergence of multidrug resistant pathogens has stimulated a need to find alternatives to antimicrobials. Currently, no single treatment is available that can eliminate the need for antimicrobials; particularly for immunocompromised individuals. Prudent use to protocols have been called for to decrease the consumption of antimicrobials. This includes the use to antimicrobials for individuals clinically diagnosed with bacterial infections and excludes antimicrobial treatment for viral infections, disease prophylaxis, and growth promotion (1). Most clinicians and scientists agree that unnecessary use of antimicrobials should be eliminated; few agree on what constitutes unnecessary use. Modern medicine and modern food animal production practices have contributed to the current problem, and more than the cessation of antimicrobial use for prophylaxis and growth promotion is necessary to reduce the incidence of multidrug resistant pathogens in hospitals and the environment.There are countless preharvest protocols in food animal production for disease prophylaxis and many more are currently under investigation. Potential strategies that could be incorporated with the current management practices include: new diagnostic procedures, vaccination and treatment-based new technologies, competitive exclusion, and the use of probiotics. New treatment options are also under study that include: bacteriophage therapy and compounds directed at new bacterial metabolic targets (e.g., programmed cell death pathways). The combined application of preharvest prevention and treatment strategies has the potential to greatly reduce the amount of antimicrobials currently in use.