What are superbugs and should you be concerned?
Wei Ching, Wei Ling and Edmund (clockwise from left) play important roles in the increasingly complex fight against antimicrobial resistance (AMR). AMR happens when microorganisms like bacteria and viruses, develop resistance to antimicrobial agents like antibiotics, thereby becoming “superbugs”.
These superbugs make it harder to treat common infections, and increases the risk of disease spread, severe illness and death.
Hi guys! To start off, please introduce yourselves.
Wei Ling: Hi! I lead a team of specialists in SFA’s Food Safety Monitoring and Forensics Department. I coordinate the laboratory testing for AMR surveillance of imported and retail food products. I also contribute technical insights on AMR-related matters at international platforms such as those by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (UN) and the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE).
Edmund: I’m a veterinarian in the Veterinary Public Health Department. My work involves conducting risk analysis and developing polices related to veterinary public health matters. My team and I also provide technical expertise on veterinary matters and animal diseases, which includes AMR work in SFA.
Wei Ching: I’m a scientist from the Research and Risk Assessment Department of the National Centre for Food Science in SFA, and I work closely with my team to design and implement surveillance and risk assessment programmes for AMR pathogens in the food sector. We also conduct food safety monitoring and microbiological risk assessments.
Picture: Members of the AMR team in SFA
So, what does the team do to tackle AMR?
Wei Ling: Broadly, we can categorise SFA’s AMR efforts into three aspects: surveillance and risk assessment, research, and public education.
Antimicrobials are one group of veterinary drugs used globally by the livestock and aquaculture industry to treat infectious diseases. And with over 90% of our food imported, it’s important that we have a robust drug residue monitoring system to ensure the food in our market is safe for consumption.
At NCFS, we conduct laboratory testing of AMR and antimicrobials residues in food products, such as meat, dairy products and eggs. Animal feed used at food farms is also regularly tested for antimicrobials residues or banned substances.
To ensure that the methods and scope of testing remain current, we also routinely review and strengthen our laboratory’s capabilities.
Other efforts include monitoring the AMR profiles in common food-borne pathogens, where the information gathered can provide insights on the development of AMR locally and help us take appropriate precautionary measures.
Wei Ching: A large part of my work involves designing and implementing a surveillance and risk assessment programme for AMR.
What this means is that we will rationalise and implement a systematic sampling plan for laboratory testing to collect representative data for AMR across the food chain in Singapore. We then apply risk and data science knowledge and tools to make sense of the data, which helps us develop the necessary measures to take.
Edmund: On my end, we work with local farmers to implement good animal husbandry practices. These measures help to prevent disease incursion and manage diseases, which would ultimately reduce the use of antimicrobials. We also work on public education initiatives to raise awareness on AMR and educate the public on good food safety hygiene habits.
What are some of the tools you use in your work?
Wei Ching: It’ll definitely be the equipment in our NCFS lab. We run many tests each day to determine the level of antimicrobial resistance of bacteria in food, while our drug residues team tests for residues.
We’ve developed an extraction method which can test for more than 100 veterinary drugs in food from animal origins, so that has greatly increased the speed and efficiency at which we can detect veterinary drug residues in meat!
We also make use of risk and data science tools such as statistical modelling software and next-generation sequencing analysis to monitor the trends and emergence of AMR in foodborne pathogens. This allows us to better understand the risk and transmission pathway of AMR pathogens in the food sector.
At the same time, I think collaboration is important in tackling AMR. Superbugs can spread from person to person, between people and animals and vice versa. So the fight against AMR will require coordinated effort across the animal, human, food and environment sectors.
Regionally, we have initiated efforts to build partnerships and technical capabilities to address and tackle AMR.
For example, in consultation with ASEAN Member States, Singapore developed the ASEAN Guidelines on Prudent Use of Antimicrobials in Livestock, and spearheaded ASEAN cooperation in fighting AMR in the aquaculture sector. These efforts complement Singapore’s National Strategic Action Plan to combat AMR, which was jointly developed by the One Health agencies in 2017.
Why don’t we simply ban the use of antimicrobials in animals then?
Edmund: Antimicrobials are necessary for the treatment of diseases in animals. The usage of antimicrobials including antibiotics is not wrong when used responsibly under veterinary or animal health specialists, and can contribute to the health and welfare of animals.
Wei Ching: The key to this is prudent use. It means that antimicrobials should be used in a responsible and appropriate manner to prevent overuse and misuse of antimicrobials. An example of what goes against this principle is the use of antimicrobials for growth promotion in food producing animals, rather than for disease treatment.
Wei Ling: If antimicrobials are used to treat animals, the animals or their produce (e.g. milk) can only enter the food chain after a certain time period to ensure that the drug residues have been passed out of the animals’ system. On our end, we regularly conduct tests to ensure that food products do not contain residues of banned substances or exceed the maximum residue limits.
What can consumers do to protect themselves or help combat AMR?
Wei Ching: Bacteria can be occurring naturally in the environments. Many are harmless and may not cause disease. However, raw food may contain bacteria which can cause food poisoning. That’s why it’s important for consumers to ensure their food is cooked thoroughly as pathogenic bacteria – with or without AMR, can be killed by the cooking process.
Edmund: Yes, there are simple steps which everyone can take to reduce the spread of infection. For example, good food safety practices such as separating raw and cooked food can help to reduce the risk of contamination. Good hygiene habits such as proper hand washing can also help fight the spread of bacteria. After all, it’s best not to get sick in the first place!