**4. Economic implications/economic impact of the resistant pathogens in food**

As we previously mentioned, the resistance occurs when the antibiotics used for the control of bacterial diseases are no longer optimal for their elimination. The most common routes to get infected with pathogenic bacteria are air, direct contact with sick people, or consumption of contaminated water or food. Pathogenic bacteria can be spread through sick people and contaminated fruits, vegetables, or animals that are intended for consumption. Antimicrobial resistance is a risk factor and complication of the disease, being difficult to treat infections, and it could be eventually lead to death [61]. In 2019, 700,000 deaths worldwide can be attributed to antimicrobial resistance, and the figure would rise to 35 million in 35 years, due to the lack of treatments to cure diseases caused by resistant pathogens; the estimated cost for the treatment of these persons will be 100 billion dollars [62, 63].

Morbidity and mortality increase when the administration of effective treatments to counteract infections caused by resistant pathogens is delayed. The duration of the disease and hospitalization of patients with infections by resistant pathogens have an economic impact, since there are extra procedures for the treatment of the disease, the antibiotics that could be administered usually are more expensive than the ones used as first line, and also there are long hospitalization stays. The economic impact for the patient is due to the loss of productivity for taking care of themselves or a family member [61]. It is highlighted that 63.5% of infections are acquired in hospitals and that the groups with the highest incidence are under 1 year or over 65 years old [62, 63].

In Europe and the United States, more than 50,000 people die every year from infections with drug-resistant pathogens, while in India it is estimated that close to

**179**

*Multidrug-Resistant Bacterial Foodborne Pathogens: Impact on Human Health and Economy*

60,000 newborns die due to resistant infections. There are at least 700,000 deaths every year caused by resistant microorganism that generate diseases such as bacterial infections, malaria, HIV/AIDS, or tuberculosis [64]. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that 2 million patients will be treated each year for resistant bacteria, of which 23,000 die [65]. In United States, it was estimated that there are an average of 1400 sick people with infection caused by resistant microorganisms, with a medical cost per patient estimated in \$18,588 to \$29,069 US dollars with a mortality rate of 6.5%. In the European Union, the cost for loss of productivity due to an illness originated by resistant bacteria is estimated in 1.5

It is evident that the problem of bacterial resistance has reached great impact not only in the health of the population but also on its economy. For this reason, it is necessary to undertake actions that help in stopping the acquisition of the genetic elements that promote antibiotic resistance. Without doubt, the implementation of government laws that avoid the excessive use of antibiotics in livestock and fish farming could help to hinder the problem. Also the use of alternative molecules to antibiotics for the prevention of diseases in animals and improvement of the hygiene and vaccination measures in the farming collection and food processes would help to stop the problem of bacterial resistance. It has been proven that countries that have implemented control measures in the use of antibiotics in animals for human consumption and their products reduce up to 39% resistant bacteria. Not less important is the implementation of control measures in hospitals and clinics as well as generation of awareness in the population to avoid the overprescription of

Lilia M. Mancilla-Becerra, Teresa Lías-Macías, Cristina L. Ramírez-Jiménez and

\*Address all correspondence to: jeannette.barba@academicos.udg.mx

Public Health Department, Biological and Agricultural Sciences Center, University

© 2019 The Author(s). Licensee IntechOpen. This chapter is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/ by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium,

antibiotics, elements that all together can make a difference.

The authors do not have any conflict of interest.

*DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.88789*

billion € per year [66].

**Conflict of interest**

**Author details**

Jeannette Barba León\*

of Guadalajara, Zapopan, Jalisco, Mexico

provided the original work is properly cited.

#### *Multidrug-Resistant Bacterial Foodborne Pathogens: Impact on Human Health and Economy DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.88789*

60,000 newborns die due to resistant infections. There are at least 700,000 deaths every year caused by resistant microorganism that generate diseases such as bacterial infections, malaria, HIV/AIDS, or tuberculosis [64]. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that 2 million patients will be treated each year for resistant bacteria, of which 23,000 die [65]. In United States, it was estimated that there are an average of 1400 sick people with infection caused by resistant microorganisms, with a medical cost per patient estimated in \$18,588 to \$29,069 US dollars with a mortality rate of 6.5%. In the European Union, the cost for loss of productivity due to an illness originated by resistant bacteria is estimated in 1.5 billion € per year [66].

It is evident that the problem of bacterial resistance has reached great impact not only in the health of the population but also on its economy. For this reason, it is necessary to undertake actions that help in stopping the acquisition of the genetic elements that promote antibiotic resistance. Without doubt, the implementation of government laws that avoid the excessive use of antibiotics in livestock and fish farming could help to hinder the problem. Also the use of alternative molecules to antibiotics for the prevention of diseases in animals and improvement of the hygiene and vaccination measures in the farming collection and food processes would help to stop the problem of bacterial resistance. It has been proven that countries that have implemented control measures in the use of antibiotics in animals for human consumption and their products reduce up to 39% resistant bacteria. Not less important is the implementation of control measures in hospitals and clinics as well as generation of awareness in the population to avoid the overprescription of antibiotics, elements that all together can make a difference.
