The use of antibiotics is certainly one of the greatest achievements in the field of human and veterinary medicine in the twentieth century. Initially, antibiotics were intended only for humans, but soon they were used in veterinary practice to treat sick animals. The next step was to add small amounts of antibiotics to animal feed to improve production characteristics (faster growth, better feed conversion, higher productivity). The price of antibiotics has decreased over the years, but their use has increased exponentially. The addition of antibiotics as growth promoters proved to be extremely successful until it was discovered in human medicine that some microorganisms became resistant to antibiotics and that resistance was transmitted through plasmids. This problem arose from the excessive and inappropriate use of antimicrobials in animal husbandry and also in human medicine, but it did not stop there - resistant bacteria continued to divide and spread antibiotic-resistant genes and began to enter the environment through sewage and waste. Various solutions are already being applied in developed countries, such as appropriate wastewater treatment plants, composting, replacing antibiotics with alternative antimicrobials, and newer technologies are being developed that directly target the destruction of resistant bacteria. However, we must be aware that it will be even more necessary to reduce the use of antibiotics in both human medicine and animal husbandry in order to contain the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
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