Michael Peel and Susannah Savage in London and Humza Jilani in Faisalabad report on poultry farms in Pakistan's Punjab acting as 'pathogen sponges' for superbugs. Adnan Shoukat, a trained veterinarian in Faisalabad, uses biosecurity measures including citric acid-treated water and disinfectant to reduce antibiotic use by 25% per chicken. While awareness has grown about antibiotic overuse harms, experts warn the battle against drug-resistant bacteria continues.

Researchers at the UK-based Ineos Oxford Institute found densely populated chicken flocks absorb and amplify bacterial strains from multiple sources. All poultry farms in a 2023 Punjab study used antibiotics, with 60% without prescriptions and nearly half using them for growth promotion. Farms heavily relied on colistin and fluoroquinolones—drugs critical for human medicine.

Overuse breeds bacterial resilience as resistant strains survive and reproduce. Intensive farming also enables zoonotic spillover, forcing animals into close proximity with humans and each other. Sir Peter Piot notes resistant bacteria can reach the market without killing poultry. Illegal antibiotic distribution in village markets and undisclosed feed additives compound the crisis, fueling annual 10% growth in Pakistan's chicken manufacturing over the past decade.