A new research has established that increased use of antibiotics in animals food poses a threat to consumers. [Photo|Mental Floss]Approximately 80 percent of the consumption of medically important antibiotics are ingested through farm animals.A new research carried out jointly by US-based Naval Research Laboratory, US Army Medical Research Directorate-Kenya, Kenya Medical Research Institute and the University of Washington has established that increased use of antibiotics in animals food, poses a threat to consumers.The research showed Kenya has a high prevalence of antibiotic resistance after the researchers carried out tests on bacteria from intestinal tracts of healthy individuals and ailing patients in Kenya.The researchers collected 90 bacterial strains which were isolated from participants aged between four months to 54 years. Half of the subjects were diagnosed with an acute diarrheal illness, the other half were healthy individuals. Samples were collected from eight Kenyan clinics, including district hospitals of Kisumu, Kisii, Migori and Homa Bay.Meanwhile, the World Health Organization has cautioned farmers and food industries to stop misusing antibiotics in healthy animals. WHO says researchers have encountered problems in developing new antibiotics and most bacteria which cause serious infections have developed a strong resistance to the antibiotics in the market. "The lack of effective antibiotics is a serious threat," Tedros Ghebreyesus, WHO director general says.WHO advises that healthy animals should only receive antibiotics to prevent disease diagnosed in other animals in the same flock or herd while adding that listed antibiotics should only be used as a last-resort of treatment for multi-drug resistant infections in humans.The Kenya Veterinary Association will on Friday (today) hold a press briefing to address antibiotics resistance.

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