Taking a One Health approach, which recognises the connection between the health of people and animals, the report presents data primarily collected between 2019 and 2021 on antibiotic consumption and AMR in Europe.

For the first time as part of this project, the three agencies analysed trends of antimicrobial consumption and AMR in Escherichia coli (E. coli) from both humans and food-producing animals. They also looked into how these trends were changing in humans and food-producing animals during 2014 – 2021. For example, during this timeframe, antibiotic consumption in food-producing animals decreased by 44%.

The analysis performed by the three Agencies found that E. coli bacteria in both animals and humans are becoming less resistant to antibiotics as the overall antibiotic consumption is reduced. This shows that the concerning trends in antibiotic resistance can be reversed with the right actions and policies.

The report also shows that, in humans, the use of important groups of antibiotics, such as carbapenems, 3rd- and 4th-generation cephalosporins, and quinolones, is associated with resistance to these antibiotics in E. coli from humans. Likewise, the use of quinolones, polymyxins, aminopenicillins and tetracyclines in food-producing animals is associated with resistance to these antibiotics occurring in E. coli bacteria in food-producing animals.

Additionally, bacterial resistance in humans may be linked to bacterial resistance in food-producing animals. Two examples highlighted by the report are Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli, which may be found in food-producing animals and may spread to people through food.

For the first time, the statistical code used to perform these analyses is made publicly available together with the report, encouraging further analysis by researchers and other interested experts.

AMR is a serious threat to public and animal health. It is estimated that, every year, AMR causes the death of more than 35,000 people in the European Union and the European Economic Area (EU/EEA) and puts a significant burden on European healthcare systems, with an approximate cost of €11.7 billion per year, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The One Health approach implemented through the cooperation of ECDC, EFSA and EMA, and the results presented in this report call for:

continued efforts to tackle AMR at national, EU and global levels across the human and food-producing animals sectors;
harmonised surveillance of antimicrobial consumption and AMR in the human and animal sectors;
targeted studies to further understand the spread of AMR.
Additional data on AMR will be available next week in the joint EFSA-ECDC annual report on antimicrobial resistance, which looks at the status of AMR in bacteria affecting humans, animals, and food.

https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/news/multi-agency-report-highlights-importance-reducing-antibiotic-use