Infectious diseases can be transmitted from animals to humans, which is why it is important to understand animal health in order to improve human health. Research also shows that antimicrobial resistance in bacteria either in humans, animals or the environment may spread from one to the other.
Menzies is currently working with the Timor-Leste Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries (MAF) to strengthen their animal antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and antimicrobial use (AMU) surveillance system, as well as build capacity in the national Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory.
Dr Shawn Ting, a Menzies senior research fellow and public health veterinarian who is the animal health lead for the project, explains that antimicrobials are a critical tool for management of diseases, and it is essential to preserve their efficacy for use in human and animal health.
“This will assist the government to develop informed policies to combat the rising trend of resistance seen worldwide, and we are grateful to the Fleming Fund Country Grant for the support on this work,” said Dr Ting.
Currently, the project is focused on collecting samples from chicken farms and live bird markets around the country.
Dr Abrao Pereira, Menzies animal health epidemiology officer, is coordinating field sample collection and training of government staff for this activity.
“We are concentrating on chickens because it is one of the fastest growing animal sectors in Timor-Leste, where there is potential for improper use of antimicrobials,” said Dr Pereira.
“Proper antibiotic use will not only preserve its efficacy in animals but also humans, because antimicrobial resistance can be passed between animals and humans."
The samples collected from the chickens will be sent to the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory for testing. The testing aims to use selected bacteria from the gastrointestinal tract of birds and determine their AMR profile.
“Testing animal bacteria for resistance has never been done before in Timor-Leste. This will not only expand the capacity of the lab to investigate bacteria resistance, but improve the overall diagnostic capacity of the laboratory," said Dr Ting.
Read more information about the Fleming Fund Country Grant project and Menzies work in Timor-Leste here.