• Rounds With Doc T

  Rounds With Doc T – “Antibiotic Use In Horses” – 2022 July 25th

  Posted by Matt-Support on July 24, 2022 at 8:09 pm

  “Antibiotic Use In Horses”

  Date: July 25th, 2022

  I forgot to record this one. Instead, I have written out what I said below. Thank you for understanding. Doc T

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  The title of this is “Antibiotic Use In Horses,” but to begin with, this requires a different approach. Rather than assume that all bacteria are bad, I want to discuss what bacteria are, where they are, why they exist, and finally, when bacteria cause damage.

  Bacteria are very small organisms ubiquitously found in everything on this planet. Individually, they are only seen with a microscope, but in groups, they can be seen with our eyes, smelled with our nose, or felt with our touch. According to some research on humans, there are 38 trillion (38,000,000,000,000) bacteria living in, on and around us. This represents about 50% of all the cells and is called the “holobiome.” When identifying a selection of bacteria living in a location of the body, scientists call that group of bacteria the microbiome or microbiota. Much research has been done on the gastrointestinal tract microbiome (the gut). Still, other specific places include the oral microbiome, lung microbiome, armpit microbiome, skin microbiome, nasal microbiome, etc.

  A unique microbiome is the bacteria living inside every body cell. Billions of years ago, when we were just one-cell organisms, the atmosphere of Earth changed from pure methane (carbon plus hydrogen) to a mix we find today in the air of carbon, oxygen, hydrogen and nitrogen. The one-cell organisms called prokaryotes were unable to live with this new air. To survive, two prokaryotes learned to live together, one inside the other forming the first eukaryote. All animals living on Earth today are prokaryotes formed from collecting individual prokaryotes into colonies and bodies we see. But there is more. The bodies consist of highly organized cells, but eukaryotes are inside and outside these cells. Together, these populations of cells create the total living body.

  All animal bodies share themselves as an ecosystem. In other words, all of the body’s cells coexist with all the bacteria inside and outside the body. In this ecosystem, all bacteria are “good” and assist us in thriving within an otherwise hostile world. It is hostile because there is a constant and never-ending attack to return all things to a base state of complete randomness. This process is called entropy: the movement from high organizations of atoms, molecules and cells back to the unorganized chaos of sub-atomic particles’ vibrations. To overcome entropy, energy is required.

  Examples of entropy are all around us. Over time, a farm needs repair and maintenance, or a truck needs constant feeding of fuel as well as regular maintenance and repair. The bodies of our horses (and ourselves) also need endless fuel supplies, maintenance and repair. If we did nothing, our bodies would soon fail. One of the big mistakes we make is assuming that the “body” is a complex system of organs and cells but ignoring the relationships they have with the surrounding microbes. We look at the environmental effects on the body (pollution, radiation, chemicals) but ignore the delicate balance between the eukaryotes and the surrounding prokaryotes. The exception is the destructive power caused by “bad” bacteria. Like any other damaging factor trying to disrupt the organized being, bacteria such as e.coli, salmonella, chlamydia, staphylococcus, streptococcus, and many other bacteria try to overtake the body returning it to dust. To counter these bad bacteria, antibiotics were discovered.

  As in all medicine, the pattern of attacking the bad guy was achieved by discovering a weapon against the cause of the disease. The first step was finding the cause, which was the discovery of bacteria. Evidence from 1000 years ago shows that ancient Egyptians applied moldy bread to cuts to help heal the infection. But it wasn’t until the late1800’s that we discovered bacteria under the microscope and grew it under controlled conditions. In 1910 the first antibiotic was found that was effective against the venereal disease syphilis. Accidentally, penicillin was discovered in 1928 and became commercially produced by 1945. It was called “the wonder drug” because it effectively stopped infections. When 500 people were killed in a Boston fire, many others required life-saving skin grafts that were very effective with the help of penicillin. But without this antibiotic, the skin graft patients would have also died.

  Drug-developing companies worldwide invested time and money into discovering more effective antibiotics. Since 1940, about 140 antibiotics have been developed and released for use on bacterial diseases. Unfortunately, these were used in agriculture to feed animals for enhanced growth (banned in the EU in 2003 and the US in 2012) and sprayed on plants to prevent infection. Along with these abuses, humans and veterinarians also prescribed antibiotics as a preventive (the disease could happen but was not present) or as a broad-spectrum approach to a non-identified bacteria. Alexander Fleming, the discoverer of penicillin, predicted in 1928 that if antibiotics were not used with care, the bacteria would respond by changing, making the antibiotic less effective or ineffective. This warning went unheeded; now, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the world’s top health issues today.

  Countering AMR is a program started in the 1990s called “Stewardship.” Human doctors and veterinarians amassed the cultures of all bacterial samples from humans and livestock and performed genetic sequencing to determine if drifts were occurring, making antibiotic resistance develop. The results were alarming. Recently, the investigators determined that they were missing data from horses and pets. Today, all veterinarians taking bacterial swabs of infections before administering antibiotics have these samples shared in the national database, filling the gap in data the human and livestock samples were observing. The results are slowing the development of AMR throughout the developed nations. However, most agree that AMR, at the current rate, will render most antibiotics useless in about a decade worldwide.

  The loss of antibiotics as effective weapons against bacterial infections is an idea we cannot comprehend because they have been with us all our lives. Much like the availability of food, water and electricity in every corner of our land, the idea that anything so available and effective would someday be gone is unimaginable. But unlike other threats that may or may not be “real,” such as climate change, AMR is real with data behind it. Antibiotics have been with us for less than 100 years. And through investigations, we now understand that bacteria have been adapting to environmental attacks for billions of years to survive. Antibiotics are only one of many things to have changed in their lives. We should not be surprised that they, too, want to survive.

  AMR is not just because the bacteria are changing to become resistant, but the drug industry has lost interest in researching and developing new antibiotics. The “easy” ones have been discovered and produced. It is becoming harder to find new ways to approach bacteria. The cost of discovering, testing and bringing to market has been estimated to be an economic loss to companies. The result is that there are now only four drug companies with antimicrobial departments worldwide. All others have dissolved any research into new antibiotics. The “golden age of antibiotics” (1945 to 1970) is well over. Between resistance formation, reduced research, and the reluctance of practitioners to use any new antibiotic until a last resort situation has been reached, the short time when antibiotics are ineffective is real and fast approaching. We are entering the “post-antibiotic era.”

  The power of working together is evident in developing the recognized connection between the cells making up our body and the cells of the bacteria living in the holobiome. Understanding that living in this ecosystem, individuals will help others because without this communal spirit, if one dies, they all die. For example, gastroenterologists have discovered that people with no bacteria from the family Bifidobacterium in their gut will suffer from COVID-19. At the same time, those with this species will not only be unaffected by the virus, but the virus will also not be detected in their poop – evidence that this species of bacteria may kill the virus. This is an example of one helping all in an ecosystem.

  To the end of all cells working together, it is now more apparent that keeping things operating in the best way is prudent. In other words, prevention is more effective than cure. Keeping our horses healthy now has two reasons other than the economic impact of poor health (vet costs, loss of use, and loss of investment). These are, first, the loss of veterinary care available to most people living in rural areas (lack of making new horse vets and their rapid movement away from horse practices), and second, the ineffectiveness of antibiotics in the future. It is now imperative that horse owners make their horses healthy by feeding them and providing an environment that allows the holobiome of the horse to thrive.

  I believe that the principle of “Stewardship” goes beyond the analysis of bacterial cultures and the proper use of medications. It also applies to the care we give to our horses that makes a better and healthier environment for them to protect themselves from bacterial infections and other pathogens, including viruses, parasites and fungi.

  Examples of human environmental improvements include septic systems, running water, food availability, harmonious households, meaningful work, freedom from stressors, and effective medical treatments. The same is true for the animals we care for. However, like in the human world, things aren’t perfect. Marketing has delivered abundant amounts of foods we now know are harmful. Our animals are not living according to their evolutionary development causing unforeseen stresses with unintended consequences. We are all left confused with animals that are ill or unsound. The addition of antibiotics has been a remarkable reversal of bacterial diseases. With caution, their use will extend past our lives well into the future. However, if we also focus on improving their care, we can diminish the need for antibiotics. Let’s look at an example.

  Skin conditions are seen in horses everywhere they live. Antibacterial shampoos abound in variety and claims. So do topical treatment for bacteria and fungal invaders. Caring for skin infections in our horses has become a seasonal ritual. But few are addressing the underlying cause of these infections. Now we are seeing a reduction in one year to elimination in two years of most skin issues in horses with the elimination of inflammatory foods, the addition of adequate amounts of high-quality protein, and the reduction of daily bathing with soaps. Reducing gut inflammation allows for a correct immune response to the skin. The addition of high-quality protein gives the materials required to mount a proper defensive immune response to the skin and build a better skin barrier. Reducing bathing to just a water rinse maintains the normal surface bacteria in balancing against foreign bacteria.

  The next time you consider using an antibiotic (or any medication), ask how its use will affect the normal microbiome of the different parts of the horse. Weigh the risks versus the benefits before making the decision. Consider changing your care practices well before the need for antibiotics is considered. All of us are in this predicament where the “wonder drug” we have lived with for so long is no longer helpful.

  Becoming a steward of antibiotic use includes testing, submitting test results to the national database, using antibiotics wisely and improving the host response through careful attention to their care.

  

  Matt-Support replied 3 years, 4 months ago 1 Member · 0 Replies
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