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This study-unit will be set up to instill awareness amongst the general public on the use and misuse of antibiotics beyond their use in humans. The sue of antibiotics in crops and animals move along the food chain hence reaching humans via food stuffs. The World Health Organisation recognizes this threat and recently there was the setting up of a worldwide working group within the Codex Alimentarius to tackle this problem. In spite of this, the use of antibiotics is inevitable, however rational use should be practiced in order to reduce the risk to humans.

This study-unit aims at helping students develop essential skills to understand and identify essential links between the different pathogens for a better quality of life. This not simply an appreciation Unit but a unit that offers practical applications to the theoretical background.

This Unit gives an insight of bacteria around us and how these enter food chains. A basin understanding of microorganisms will be provided, including basic information, the difference between beneficial, commensal and pathogenic.

The following is list of topics for discussion:

• Antimicrobials and resistant microorganisms in the environment;
• Antimicrobials and resistant microorganisms in food stuff;
• The One Health Principle and how it us affected through world travel;
• Antimicrobial resistance development and transmission in the things we do;
• Human Health and Animal Health – How they are linked (the food we consume and the hospitals).

Method of Assessment

Main Reading List

• Guardabassi, L., Jensen, L. B., & Kruse, H. (Eds.). (2008). Guide to antimicrobial use in animals (pp. 183-206). Oxford, UK: Blackwell Pub..
• OIE. (2015). OIE Standards, Guidelines and Resolution on Antimicrobial Resistance and the Use of Antimicrobial Agents.
• Giguère, S., Prescott, J. F., & Dowling, P. M. (Eds.). (2013). Antimicrobial therapy in veterinary medicine. John Wiley & Sons.