Antibiotic Resistance in Livestock Breeding: A Review

Abstract Antibiotic resistance represents a serious threat worldwide. When considering the increasing ability of bacteria to effectively resist antibacterial agents, it is necessary to reduce the consumption of antibiotic substances in animal production in order to preserve their effectiveness in the future. Attention should be paid to the multidrug resistant microorganisms’ occurrence, which can be very exhausting for the breeder not only from the economic point of view. Therefore, alternative sources of antibacterials should be considered due to the limited possibilities of using conventional antibiotics in animal breeding, e.g. application of various substances including organic acids, clay minerals, etc. Nowadays, the research in this field also focuses on the combinatory effect of such compounds, which can also find the perspective for use in animal breeding. This article provides an overview of problems connected with the resistance of diverse bacteria to antibiotic treatment in livestock breeding. It emphasises the need for alternate resources usage with the aim to lower the environmental burden caused by overuse of antimicrobials used in subclinical doses in the past and with the expanding bacterial resistance.