National Cattlemen's Beef Association Antibiotics in Livestock
Meat producers have fed growth-promoting antibiotics to nutrient animals for years. Recently, scientists take raised concerns that, in conjunction with the general overuse of antibiotics in humans, this use of "sub-therapeutic" levels of antibiotics in food animals may lead to serious health risks for people. Banning the use of such drugs, nevertheless, would greatly reduce the efficiency of the industry, driving up the cost of meat. Some in the industry believe that the scientific prove linking depression-dose usage of antibiotics to drug-resistant illnesses in people is too inconclusive and does not justify banning their use. Here's a look at the controversy, plus links to more information.
Ranchers and farmers accept been feeding antibiotics to the animals we eat since they discovered decades ago that small doses of antibiotics administered daily would make most animals gain as much equally iii percent more weight than they otherwise would. In an manufacture where profits are measured in pennies per fauna, such weight gain was revolutionary.
Although it is still unclear exactly why feeding small "sub-therapeutic" doses of antibiotics, like tetracycline, to animals makes them gain weight, there is some evidence to indicate that the antibiotics kill the flora that would normally thrive in the animals' intestines, thereby assuasive the animals to use their food more than effectively.
The meat industry doesn't publicize its employ of antibiotics, so accurate data on the corporeality of antibiotics given to food animals is difficult to come by. Stuart B. Levy, M.D., who has studied the subject area for years, estimates that there are 15-17 million pounds of antibiotics used sub-therapeutically in the U.s. each twelvemonth. Antibiotics are given to animals for therapeutic reasons, but that use isn't every bit controversial considering few contend that sick animals should not be treated.
The biggest controversy centers around taking antibiotics that are used to treat human illnesses and administering them to food animals. At that place is an increasing amount of evidence suggesting that the sub-therapeutic apply of antibiotics in food animals can pose a health take chances to humans. If a group of animals is treated with a certain antibiotic over fourth dimension, the bacteria living in those animals will go resistant to that drug. Co-ordinate to microbiologist Dr. Glenn Morris, the problem for humans is that if a person ingests the resistant bacteria via improperly cooked meat and becomes ill, he or she may not reply to antibiotic treatment.
Concern about the growing level of drug-resistant bacteria has led to the banning of sub-therapeutic employ of antibiotics in meat animals in many countries in the European Union and Canada. In the United States, however, such use is notwithstanding legal. The Earth Health Organization is concerned enough almost antibiotic resistance to suggest significantly curbing the use of antibiotics in the animals we swallow. In a recent report, the WHO declared its intention to "reduce the overuse and misuse of antimicrobials in food animals for the protection of human wellness." Specifically, the WHO recommended that prescriptions be required for all antibiotics used to treat ill food animals, and urged efforts to "terminate or rapidly phase out antimicrobials for growth promotion if they are used for human treatment."
Although conclusive evidence directly linking the use of drugs in food animals to an increase in drug-resistant bacteria that make people sick has not been uncovered, a number of recent studies suggesting such a link concern many scientists. "In that location is no evidence that antibiotic resistance is not a problem, but in that location is insufficient evidence every bit to how big a problem it is," says Dr. Margaret Mellon, with the Union of Concerned Scientists.
In one report published in the New England Journal of Medicine on Feb half dozen, 2002, researchers plant links that strongly suggested that the people who developed Cipro-resistant bacteria had acquired them by eating pork that were contaminated with salmonella. The report concluded that salmonella resistant to the antibiotic flouroquine can be spread from swine to humans, and, therefore, the use of flouroquinolones in nutrient animals should exist prohibited.
Some other New England Journal of Medicine study from Oct. 18, 2001, institute that 20 percentage of ground meat obtained in supermarkets independent salmonella. Of that 20 pct that was contaminated with salmonella, 84 percent was resistant to at to the lowest degree one course of antibiotic.
Cipro and Baytril
Some, including the FDA, believe the overuse of Baytril, an antibiotic used to care for sick birds, led to an increase in treatment-resistant bacterial infections in humans. Baytril is used by poultry growers to protect chickens and turkeys from Eastward. coli infection. The size of commercial craven flocks precludes testing and treating private birds, then when a veterinarian diagnoses one infected bird, farmers care for the whole flock by adding the drug to its drinking water. General employ of Baytril, therefore, falls in the greyness area between therapeutic and sub-therapeutic.
Baytril is the sister drug to Cipro, which is used to care for and foreclose anthrax also as campylobacteriosis and salmonellosis in people. The Nutrient and Drug Administration, doctors, and consumer groups have all urged that Baytril exist removed from the market on the grounds that its utilise in animals may somewhen compromise the power of Cipro and similar antibiotics to fight affliction in humans. Cipro and Baytril vest to a course of drugs known as fluoroquinolone, among the most powerful antibiotics currently available.
Baytril commencement came up for approval for use in chickens vi years agone. Physicians have used fluoroquinolones to care for food-borne illness since 1986, merely fluoroquinolone-resistant leaner were rare until 1995, when the FDA canonical the use of these drugs in drinking water for poultry. The FDA's rough estimate, using 1999 data, is that use of fluoroquinolones in chickens resulted in over 11,000 people that year contracting a strain of the campylobacter disease that was resistant to fluoroquinolones, contributing to unnecessarily astringent illness.
When the FDA proposed pulling Baytril use in chickens a year ago due to sharp increases in resistance to fluoroquinolones in campylobacter bacteria, i of the ii manufacturers voluntarily withdrew its product. The other, Bayer, did non.
Bayer officials proceed to offer the human drug Cipro at reduced rates to the American public, saying that they are non convinced that the use of fluoroquinolones in animals can be blamed for increased resistance in people. Until more proof is found of the specific danger to humans, they volition non withdraw their product from the chicken market.
The Meat Industry'southward Statement
For its part, the meat-product industry contends that there is not enough conclusive show to support measures similar the FDA'south proposed ban confronting flouroquinolones. Although none deny that the spread of antibacterial resistance is a real problem, proponents of sub-therapeutic antibiotic use in animals bespeak out that the problem stems from overuse of all antibiotics, including therapeutic and preventative apply in both animals and humans. Agricultural use may contribute to the trouble, but information technology is impossible to determine to what extent.
In its recent report, the Globe Health Arrangement blamed the worldwide upswing in resistance to antibiotics on a combination of factors that included "overuse in many parts of the world, particularly for minor infections," and "misuse due to lack of admission to appropriate treatment." The factors involved in the problem are conspicuously non express to antibiotic utilize in fauna feed.
"When someone'south sick and goes to the physician, they still expect to get a prescription," said National Chicken Council spokesman Richard Lobb. He said that people should await to themselves for the causes of antibody resistance, referring to the American practise of prescribing antibiotics for even the well-nigh minor of illnesses.
Increased use in hospitals may also contribute to the resistance trouble. "Today, particularly in intensive intendance wards, the amount of antibiotics in the environment can get loftier enough that people in the vicinity of patients receiving antibiotics are exposed continuously to low levels of antibiotics," microbiologist Abigail Salvers of University of Illinois told Scientific American. This depression level of exposure, she contends, is 1 reason why highly resistant bacteria are developing in hospitals. She says that a similar phenomenon may be taking place in agriculture.
Co-ordinate to Alexander S. Matthews, president and CEO of the Brute Health Found (AHI), removal of antibiotics from animals' feed and h2o "would lead to increased animal disease, a reduction in food safety and gain lilliputian, if anything, in the effort to control resistance." He suggests developing "prudent utilise principles."
Lowering or halting sub-therapeutic antibody use in animal production could take serious economic effects on the meat and poultry industry. According to a report released in May 2001 past USDA'southward Economical Research Service, discontinuing the use of antimicrobial drugs in grunter production would initially decrease feed efficiency, raise food costs, reduce production and enhance prices to consumers. According to the same written report, U.S. sus scrofa producers saved about $63 meg in feed costs in 1999 due to their use of low levels of sub-therapeutic drugs; they would have suffered an estimated loss of $45.v 1000000 in 1999 if the drug use was banned.
Even within the industry, even so, there is a growing movement to reduce at to the lowest degree the sub-therapeutic utilize of antibiotics in animals raised for food. Tyson Foods, Perdue Farms and Foster Farms, which collectively produce a third of the craven Americans eat, recently declared their intention to profoundly reduce the corporeality of antibiotics fed to salubrious chicken. At that place is still no way for consumers to know whether one of these companies' chickens has been treated with antibiotics, although some corporate consumers, McDonald's, Wendy'south and Popeye's among them, are refusing to buy chicken that has been treated with fluoroquinolones. Increased public pressure may cause the companies who grow animals for nutrient to collectively make up one's mind that putting extra weight on feed animals isn't worth the possibility that they are putting consumers' health at risk.
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| · The Use of Drugs in Food Animals: Benefits and Risks This book, commissioned past the USDA and published in 1999, addresses the many benefits and risks associated with using antibiotics in feed animals. In the chapter titled "Costs of Eliminating sub-therapeutic Apply of Antibiotics," the authors conclude that if there were a ban on sub-therapeutic drug use, the annual cost to consumers would be between $4.84 and $ix.72 per capita. |
| · WHO: Global Strategy for Containment of Antimicrobial Resistance This September 2001 report from the World Health System blames a combination of factors for the worldwide upswing in resistance to antibiotics, including widespread overuse and misuse. As for the utilize of antibiotics in food animals, the authors say that "inefficient and inadequately enforced regulatory mechanisms regarding antimicrobial supply contribute to excessive and inappropriate drug use." The authors discover that the incidence of antibiotic-resistant campylobacter in live poultry has increased dramatically, and that resistant strains of salmonella have been detected in several countries worldwide. Earlier, in June 2000, the WHO released a major written report titled "Overcoming Microbial Resistance." Here is the press release for that report, along with sound links to practiced opinions about the study'south findings. |
| · Antimicrobial Drug Apply and Veterinarian Costs in U.S. Livestock Product According to this written report, released in May 2001 past the USDA'due south Economical Research Service, discontinuing the use of antimicrobial drugs in sus scrofa product would initially subtract feed efficiency, reduce production, and raise consumer prices. The writer says that U.S. squealer producers saved about $63 million in feed costs in 1999 due to their utilise of low levels of sub-therapeutic drugs. |
| · CDC: Antimicrobial Resistance This is the CDC's site defended to the issue of antimicrobial resistance. Elsewhere, the CDC publishes another site about antibiotics, Promoting Appropriate Antibody Apply in the Community. Both sites have enough of background data. |
| · FDA: Antimicrobial Resistance A website under the auspices of the FDA's Center for Veterinarian Medicine, the antimicrobial resistance section of this site includes FDA fact sheets and consumer information most drug resistance. Elsewhere on the FDA website is this site on antibody resistance, which has general background as well as links to boosted resource. |
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| · "Growing Resistance" The author of this commodity from the December 2000 issue of Female parent Jones asks, "Is agribusiness squandering i of medicine's most potent weapons?" (Mother Jones, Nov/December 2000) |
| · "The Claiming of Antibiotic Resistance" "Certain bacterial infections now defy all antibiotics. The resistance problem may be reversible, simply only if social club begins to consider how the drugs touch 'good' bacteria every bit well as 'bad.'" (Scientific American, March 1998) |
| · "Where's the Beef on Subcontract Antibiotics?" In this article written by the publisher of JunkScience.com and published on FoxNews.com, the author argues that testify to link the use of antibiotics in food animals to human being health problems is scant. "Bacterial resistance to antibiotics is on the rise. ... So far, the only crusade that everyone agrees near is that physicians hand out antibiotics similar candy," writes the author. (FoxNews.com, Jan. 12, 2001) |
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| · Beefiness.org: Myths and Facts About Beefiness Product Beefiness.org, the website for the National Cattlemen's Beefiness Association and the Beef Board, includes this backgrounder on antibody use in cattle. It says that "no residues from feeding antibiotics are plant in beefiness, and there is no valid scientific evidence that antibiotic use in cattle causes illness resulting from the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria." |
| · The Coalition for Animal Health This October 2001 press release from the Coalition for Creature Health, which includes the National Cattlemen's Beefiness Clan, the National Craven Council, and the National Pork Producers Council, says that "the use of U.S. FDA-approved antibiotics in animals has been verified in scientific studies through the by twoscore years as providing a critical, showtime line of defense to go along our nation's food supply safe and secure." |
| · Creature Health Institute The Animal Health Institute, which represents companies that make drugs for subcontract animals, publishes this fact sheet most animals and antibiotics, in which it says that "there is no documented example where antibiotic use in animals has caused treatment failure in people." |
| · Montana State University: Beef Briefs A beef specialist at MSU contends that at that place is no valid scientific evidence that feeding antibiotics to beef cattle leads to health problems in people. This is a cursory overview of his position, forth with his list of supporing sources. |
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| · Alliance for the Prudent Utilise of Antibiotics The website for APUA, a xx-yr-old advocacy group that promotes the proper apply of antibiotics, is an excellent resource for data about drug resistance. APUA collaborates on projects with other organizations such as the U.S. Agency for International Evolution and the World Health Arrangement. Its site provides practical information for the consumer equally well as in-depth data for practitioners. APUA's Project FAAIR (Facts Near Antibiotics in Animals and Their Impact on Resistance) crafted this flow chart tracking the several ways that antibiotics migrate from animals to humans. |
| · KeepAntibioticsWorking.com Keep Antibiotics Working is a coalition of health, consumer, ecology, and agronomical groups that is working to end what it deems the "overuse and misuse" of antibiotics in animal agriculture. It has compiled summaries and links to key scientific evidence supporting the coalition'due south position. |
| · Middle for Scientific discipline in the Public Involvement: Antibiotic-Resistance Projection CSPI is a Washington, D.C.-based advocacy group that promotes food-safety awareness. Its Antibiotic-Resistance Projection website includes links to several articles, including "Protecting the Crown Jewels of Medicine," its strategic plan for preserving the effectiveness of antibiotics. The site also has a legislative and regulatory update, which tracks new proposals. |
| · Spousal relationship of Concerned Scientists: Antibiotic Resistance The Wedlock of Concerned Scientists is a nonprofit alliance of scientists and other concerned individuals beyond the country. Amid other things, the website for the grouping'south antibiotic resistance project has a glossary of terms and background data on the FDA's approach to antibiotic regulation. |
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