Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is omnipresent both in human and veterinary medicine. Whether we use too much antibiotics, we don’t apply them in an adequate way (under or overdose) or we use the correct dose of antibiotics to treat an infection, we encourage in every way the developing of this antimicrobial resistance.

Our body and the body of our animals are full of bacteria (in the nose, in the intestine, on the skin, …). Not all bacteria are dangerous or pathogenic, we need a lot of them to survive. Although by treating one specific pathogenic bacteria at one specific place in the body of an animal, you will always attack at the same time all the other necessary bacteria of this animal.

Conquering antimicrobial resistance is one of the main objectives worldwide. It is very clear that we have to change from a curative management to a very forceful preventive management (without using preventive antibiotics). Several projects across the EU during 2011-2015 have shown that we really can reduce AMR in a proper way by reducing the overall AM use. But if we want to do this, we are in need of a valuable biosecurity program (internal and external) and an adequate herd management.