1.4 AMU in companion animals

The amount of antimicrobials used in pets is significantly lower than in food-producing animals. However, because they live in close proximity to humans, AMU in pets may be important for AMR transmission. Antimicrobials commonly used in humans are often used in companion animals, too.

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Figure 2 Humans and pets live in close proximity.
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A photograph of an owner stroking her pet cat in a home environment.

Figure 2 Humans and pets live in close proximity.

  • The active ingredients in human and animal antibiotic preparations are often similar or identical. How is this relevant to the emergence of AMR?

  • The main risk is that administering human medicines to animals is likely to drive the emergence of resistance to those drugs, which could make it difficult to treat human patients with bacterial infections. This topic will be described further in Sections 2 and 3.

1.3. The importance of regulating AMU in animals

1.5 Drivers of AMU