Dr. Locke Karriker: The balancing act: animal welfare and antibiotic usage

Antibiotic use has become a major area of focus for the swine industry in the last few decades. With more and more resistance genes appearing, we need to do our best to limit the use of antibiotics so we can continue to use them as long as possible. In today’s talk with Dr. Karriker, he talks about the proper use of antibiotics in the swine industry and how we can maximize health while decreasing antibiotic use on our swine farms.

What you will learn:

1. The Swine Medicine Education Center

2. Antibiotic usage in the swine industry

3. Antibiotic resistance

4. Potential introduction of new resistance genes

5. What decision-makers should do

6. Balancing animal welfare and antibiotic usage

7. Antibiotic stewardship

8. Metrics to measure antibiotic use

9. Regulations

10. What’s in the future

Meet the guest: Dr. Locke Karriker is a Professor in the Department of Veterinary Diagnostic and Production Animal Medicine (VDPAM) at Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine.  His position involves a mix of teaching, research, and his professional practice which all focus on improving and advancing swine medicine and the judicious use of antimicrobial therapy.  This includes serving as the Director of the Swine Medicine Education Center (SMEC) since 2003. Dr. Karriker is an active member on national committees committed to the judicious use of antimicrobials including the Pharmaceutical Issues Committee of the American Association of Swine Veterinarians and the Public Health and Workplace Safety Committee of the National Pork Board.  Dr. Karriker is one of the editors of the essential swine medicine reference book, Diseases of Swine (10th and 11th editions), and is the lead author of the “Drug Pharmacology, Therapy, and Prophylaxis” chapter.  His research activities are focused on swine disease diagnosis and treatment. He is particularly dedicated to advancing knowledge on pharmacology and welfare, further characterizing disease conditions, and assessing new intervention strategies for the swine industry.

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