August 3, 2010

 

USDA confirms animal antibiotics result in antimicrobial resistance

 

 

The USDA recently testified before a House committee that antibiotic use in livestock does lead to antimicrobial resistance among humans and in animals themselves.

 

Conventional cattle farmers often use antibiotics to speed the growth of their animals, but such use is causing widespread antibiotic resistance, according to experts.

 

John Clifford, chief veterinarian at the USDA, explained before the committee that antibiotic use in animals does lead to some cases of antimicrobial resistance among humans and in animals themselves. As such, both the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the USDA are working to reduce, and possibly eliminate, the use of many animal antibiotics.

 

One reason livestock operations use antibiotics is to treat sick animals. Most conventional livestock operations are highly unsanitary, and animals are raised within confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs). These cramped conditions cause the animals to become sick more frequently than they would if they were raised in more spacious conditions, so they often need regular treatment for their constant illnesses.

 

Another reason for conventional animal farmers to use antibiotics is to fatten their animals quickly. This practice is employed purely to increase profits, and has nothing to do with benefiting the animals or the humans who end up consuming products made from them.

 

Excessive use of antibiotics for both purposes has led to the emergence of "super" bacteria that are resistant to many of the traditional antibiotics that Americans have been using for years. According to the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), use of antibiotics in animal production is the leading cause of antibiotic resistance among food borne pathogens.