Doctors and vets working together for antibiotic stewardship

Doctors and the farming industry are often blamed for overuse of antibiotics that spurs the growing problem of antimicrobial resistance - but the professions are using different methods to combat resistance and reduce overuse. In this roundtable, we bring medics and vets together to discuss the problem - where antibiotic resistance arises, how resistance genes propagate through the environment and between countries, and what non-drug approaches can be used to reduce the need for antibiotics. Sandy Trees, Vet Record editor in chief, and retired veterinary surgeon Stuart Reid, principal of the Royal Veterinary College Jenny Bellini, cattle and dairy vet, Friars Moor Livestock Health in Dorset Peter Hawkey, professor of clinical and public health bacteriology, University of Birmingham Tim McHugh, professor of medical microbiology at University College London Emmanuel Wey, consultant in infection, Royal Free Hospital, London