Weekly Digest: McDonald’s to phase out human antibiotics from its US chicken supply

How much would it cost to ban antibiotic growth products from the livestock sector? A new post on the CDDEP blog from Princeton researcher Aude Teillant investigates this question, highlighting conclusions from a recent Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) report co-authored by Teillant and CDDEP Director Ramanan Laxminarayan. The report found that there is a lack of reliable data globally on livestock antibiotic use, though use is likely to increase by as much as 67% by 2030, with most of the increase occurring in emerging economies. The overall effect of an AGP ban could vary widely, but could fall within a range of 1.3% to 3.0% of current meat production. [CDDEP]

McDonald’s is phasing out antibiotics from its US chicken supply. The restaurant chain, which is one of the largest buyers of chicken in the country, announced that its 14,000 US restaurants will stop selling chicken raised with antibiotics important for human health, though it will continue to use ionophore antibiotics, which are not used in humans. Numerous experts have applauded the decision and its potential impact on the US poultry market, though some food safety critics point out that McDonald’s made a similar pledge in 2003 that has yet to be implemented. Retail warehouse chain Costco also announced this week that it is working towards eliminating meat and chicken products raised with antibiotics critical for human health. [The New York Times, The Guardian, Reuters]

Liberia’s lone Ebola patient left treatment this week, as the country has gone a week without any new cases of the virus. A country without new cases for 42 days can  be declared Ebola-free, but neighboring Guinea and Sierra Leone have both seen dozens of cases in the past week. The World Health Organization continues to affirm that any number of infections above zero in the region poses a threat, and that population mobility and unsafe burials could cause the number to increase. Drug companies working to fight the disease have made progress, however: an experimental Ebola vaccine trial will begin its final stages in Guinea on March 7.  [BBC]

A second Los Angeles hospital has reported a superbug outbreak linked to contaminated medical scopes. Cedars-Sinai Medical Center announced Wednesday that four cases of carbapenem-resistant enterobacteriaceae (CRE) were identified in the hospital, and up to 67 more people may have been exposed to the bacterium. Earlier this week, a senior FDA official stated that manufacturers’ tests for cleaning the scopes were flawed and often poorly performed [Los Angeles Times, Reuters]

Parents in Pakistan were arrested for not vaccinating their children against polio. Government authorities arrested 471 people in Peshawar this week for “endangering public security.” Parents were released only under the condition that they pledge to vaccinate their children against the disease. The Taliban has recently attacked polio vaccination campaign health workers in the country, killing four in Quetta last November, while Pakistan saw a 14-year high 306 cases of polio in 2014. [BBC]

A smartphone app has shown promise in reducing antibiotic prescriptions. The application, MicroGuide, gives immediate and up-to-date antibiotic prescribing advice to physicians, and a UK hospital saw a 30% decline in broad spectrum antibiotic prescriptions after its introduction. The National Health Service (NHS) in England awarded the app top honors in infection control at the NHS Innovation Challenge Awards. [The Pharmaceutical Journal]

Children under five in sub-Saharan Africa are at greater risk of parasitic infection than older kids. A review article published in Pediatrics found that children under five are more frequently exposed to the parasite that causes schistosomiasis, a disease that affects 200 million people worldwide, of which 90 percent are in sub-Saharan Africa. Before 2010, children under five were not included in treatment programs targeted at children in schools; the researchers stated that preschool-aged children are particularly vulnerable because they spend more time near bodies of water where the parasites live. [Pediatrics]

The measles vaccine might also be effective against chikungunya. Researchers tested a modified measles vaccine and found that it triggered antibody protection against the chikungunya virus. Chikungunya is rarely lethal but currently has no vaccine or treatment. This year the virus has spread farther across the globe than ever before ,infecting over one million people in Latin America. [Lancet Infectious Diseases, Reuters]

California’s air pollution laws have made for healthier children’s lungs. A study of more than 2,000 children found substantial improvements in lung function of children aged 11-15 over the past 20 years in Southern California. The improvements had a statistically significant tie to long-term improvements in air quality in the region. [New England Journal of Medicine]