The European Union is considering the possibility of approving the use of bacteriophages to control livestock diseases instead of antibiotics. The use of antibiotics raises concerns, as they accumulate in the body of animals and affect humans through food.
Large countries such as India and the USA have already started using bacteriophages in animal husbandry. This was stated by the director of Proteon Pharmaceuticals, Professor Yaroslav Dastic, during a scientific conference held at the European Parliament in Brussels. The professor's report says that the European Union needs to speed up the approval process for the use of bacteriophages in animal husbandry, because countries that have already abandoned antibiotics are serious competitors to the European Union in agriculture.
Bacteriophages, according to the scientist— are viruses capable of attacking and destroying harmful bacteria. Their advantage over antibiotics is that they do not create bacteria resistant to treatment and do not accumulate in the animal's body, through which they can then enter meat products and eventually affect the human body's resistance to drugs. Bacteriophages are added to the feed, and cattle absorb them during the feeding process.
At the moment, scientists and manufacturers of feed additives with bacteriophages are awaiting approval from the European Commission in order to begin applying these developments in animal husbandry.
Large countries such as India and the USA have already started using bacteriophages in animal husbandry. This was stated by the director of Proteon Pharmaceuticals, Professor Yaroslav Dastic, during a scientific conference held at the European Parliament in Brussels. The professor's report says that the European Union needs to speed up the approval process for the use of bacteriophages in animal husbandry, because countries that have already abandoned antibiotics are serious competitors to the European Union in agriculture.
Bacteriophages, according to the scientist— are viruses capable of attacking and destroying harmful bacteria. Their advantage over antibiotics is that they do not create bacteria resistant to treatment and do not accumulate in the animal's body, through which they can then enter meat products and eventually affect the human body's resistance to drugs. Bacteriophages are added to the feed, and cattle absorb them during the feeding process.
At the moment, scientists and manufacturers of feed additives with bacteriophages are awaiting approval from the European Commission in order to begin applying these developments in animal husbandry.