Stakeholders Unite Against Antimicrobial Resistance

A transdisciplinary research team from the United Kingdom, Spain and Nigeria is working with ruminant and aquaculture stakeholders to develop and validate an alternative to antimicrobials for ruminants and aquaculture.

The experts warned that antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a growing “silent pandemic” and that alternatives to antibiotics are urgently needed in livestock and aquaculture production in Nigeria and other developing countries.

In his address, the leader of the University of Ilorin research team, Dr Ismail Odetokun, explained that the project focuses on developing bacteriocins from an engineered lactic acid bacterium that can serve as an alternative to antibiotics in ruminants and aquaculture.

Odetokun, an associate professor at the Department of Veterinary Public Health and Preventive Medicine, University of Ilorin, noted that the stakeholders’ workshops are part of a broader effort to engage stakeholders, understand current use of antibiotics, and integrate their experiences into the development of this new solution.

“The way antibiotics are used in developing countries, including Nigeria, is problematic. We misuse and overuse them, and this leads to antimicrobial resistance. Our goal is to find effective, low-cost alternatives that will serve the same purpose without contributing to this global health crisis,” he said.

He warned that AMR is a growing “silent pandemic,” adding that if left unchecked, it could cause 10 million deaths annually by 2050, with Africa, particularly Nigeria, expected to bear the highest burden.

The UK team leader, Dr. Mahmoud Eltholth, a lecturer in global health at Royal Holloway University of London, emphasised that one solution to stop the emergence and transmission of antimicrobial resistance is to reduce the use of antibiotics and look for alternatives such as vaccines, probiotics, prebiotics, and other herbal medicines or medicinal plants.

He explained that the bacteriocin being developed in Nigeria is intended to be locally produced, affordable, and accessible to farmers.

For his part, a workshop participant and veterinary consultant, Dr. Saka Shittu, described the BAC4RumA project as timely and beneficial not only to livestock and aquaculture producers but also for public health.

Shittu expressed concern over growing AMR and the need for continuous dialogue among stakeholders — researchers, field veterinarians, and farmers.

“This is not just a livestock issue. It’s about public health. We consume animals and animal products that have been treated with drugs, and then those drugs no longer work in humans. This project is a major step in solving that problem,” Shittu said.