The World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH – founded as OIE) is a leading intergovernmental organisation representing 183 Members worldwide. Through its activities, WOAH makes a decisive contribution to improving animal health, protecting animal welfare and strengthening Veterinary Services. The Organisation provides transparent information on world’s animal health situation, and promotes international standards, particularly in terms of the safety of trade in live animals and animal products. More information can be found on WOAH’s website. 

Joining WOAH means taking part in the development of one of the leading international organisations, recognised and associated with other multilateral institutions, in the field of worldwide health. It means helping to build a global approach to health, combining animal and human health in a “One Health” approach.

As part of its work, WOAH offers internships designed to welcome students, to help them apply their training in a professional and international context and to strengthen its own action through the results of the internship.

WOAH’s headquarters are based in Paris. The Organisation is present on every continent through 13 Regional or Sub-regional Representations. WOAH has 250 staff members, two-thirds of whom are based at headquarters. The venue for this internship is WOAH Headquarters in Paris.

The manager responsible for the placement is Head of the Antimicrobial Resistance and Veterinary Products Department

The World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) was created on 25 January 1924. Its headquarters are in Paris. The WOAH comprises 183 Member Countries and is present on all continents through 13 (Sub-) Regional Representations. WOAH is in charge of improving animal health, veterinary public health and animal welfare worldwide, including  addressing antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and preserving the effectiveness of antimicrobial agents for animals, humans and plants.

Antimicrobials are important tools used by veterinarians and other animal health professional to control, prevent and treat infectious diseases in animals. Moreover, antimicrobials are also used in some countries at sub-therapeutical dosages for variable periods of time to enhance productivity in food-producing animals. The mechanism by which antimicrobials contribute to increase feed conversion is not well understood though it is thought that is occurs as result of microbiota modulation in the gut of exposed animals. Nevertheless, non-veterinary medical use of antimicrobials for growth promotion in groups of animals, -usually pigs, poultry and/or cattle- can accelerate this natural phenomenon as subtherapeutic use can cause selective pressure in bacteria populations in the gut of animals resulting in AMR. However, there is limited evidence on the extent of AMR in food-producing animals, animal-derived foods and in consumers that is due to use of AGPs in animals.

WOAH standards and Codex Alimentarius discourage use of AGPs in the absence of risk analysis. Currently, up to 24% of WOAH Members (36 out of 152) participating in ANIMUSE reported using AGPs in food-producing animals in 2022; these were located mostly in the Americas and the Asia and Pacific regions and to a lesser extent in the African, Middle Eastern and European regions. Overall, 76% of these Members did not carried out risk analysis prior to using AGPs. Antimicrobials used as growth promoters included different classes and subclasses of antimicrobials categorised as non-medically important (i.e., not authorised for use in humans) up to highest priority critically important antimicrobials (HPCIA) for human medicine by the World Health Organisation (WHO). WOAH has recently released a statement calling its Members to restrict the use of antimicrobials solely to veterinary medical use and to actively engage in dialogue with the concerned parties to achieve a total ban on the use of antimicrobials as growth promoters.

Based on existing scientific evidence, WOAH aims to continue to assess the impact on AMR when using AGPs in terrestrial food-producing animals worldwide.

Internship role and activities 

Does use of non-medically important antimicrobials^[1] as growth promoters lead to AMR? What do we know up to this date? What is the state-of-play around this question?

The intern will be responsible for conducting a literature review following a systematic approach adapted from the methodology used for systematic reviews for a period of 5-6 months. The objectives of the literature review will be:

1)     to identify non-medically important antimicrobials used for growth promotion purposes;

2)     to list patterns of use of these antimicrobials as growth promoters during production cycle of food-producing animals (pigs, poultry and/or cattle), and

3)     to list and characterise AMR patterns (resistance bacteria and/or resistance genes), in food-producing animals, linked to use of AGPs.

The intern will be expected to prepare a technical report with the findings of his/her research with the aim of publish it in a peer-reviewed journal if deemed of sufficient quality and/or relevance.

The intern will also be expected to prepare dissemination materials for WOAH’s website and social media based on this project in close collaboration with the Communications Department.

Depending on report progress and prioritisation of activities, the intern would also have the opportunity to participate and contribute to ongoing activities related to AMR of the AMR&VP department.

Positioning and reporting 

The intern will work under the supervision of a Scientific Coordinator in the Antimicrobial Resistance and Veterinary Products (AMR&VP) Department and in collaboration with relevant staff within the department and across other WOAH departments. Collaboration will also include interactions with experts selected from the WOAH network of Reference and Collaborating Centers. The intern will also have the opportunity to interact with WOAH’s Working Group on AMR (AMRWG).