ARS | Publication request: THE IONOPHORE RESISTANCE OF RUMINAL BACTERIA AND ITS RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER FORMS OF ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE

Submitted to: Cornell Nutrition Conference for Feed Manufacturers
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: September 4, 2003
Publication Date: October 21, 2003
Citation: RUSSELL, J.B., HOULIHAN, A.J. THE IONOPHORE RESISTANCE OF RUMINAL BACTERIA AND ITS RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER FORMS OF ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE. CORNELL NUTRITION CONFERENCE FOR FEED MANUFACTURERS. 2003. p. 125-135.

Technical Abstract: Only some animals can be safely fed ionophores, and ionophores have never been used as an antibiotics for humans therapy. Many ruminal bacteria are resistant to ionophores even if ionophores are not fed, but there is little evidence that ionophore resistance can be spread from one bacterium to another. Because ionophore resistance does not seem to cause a resistance to other classes of antibiotics, use of ionophores in animal feed is not likely to have a significant impact on the transfer of antibiotic resistance from animals to man.