Members of W21C were commissioned by the World Health Organization (WHO) to complete a systematic review and meta-analysis summarizing the evidence regarding how antibiotic resistance in animals and in humans is impacted by interventions that restrict antibiotic use in food animals. The results of this review were used by the WHO Guideline Development Group to inform a proposed WHO Guideline on antibiotic use in food animals, given their potential impact on human health.

This project represents an important collaboration between the Cumming School of Medicine and the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, with team members from the Departments of Medicine, Pediatrics, Community Health Sciences, Ecosystem and Public Health, and Production Animal Health.

Published Article
Tang KL, Caffrey NP, Nóbrega DB, et al. Restriction in the use of antibiotics in food animals and antibiotic resistance in food animals and humans – a systematic review and meta-analysis (University of Calgary, Canada) [Updated 2017 Mar]. In: WHO Guidelines on Use of Medically Important Antimicrobials in Food-Producing Animals. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2017. 1.2. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK487956/

McEwen SA, Angulo FJ, Collignon PJ, and Conly JM. Unintended consequences associated with national-level restrictions on antimicrobial use in food-producing animals. The Lancet: Planetary Health. 2018.07 DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/S2542-5196(18)30138-4