Home » Food & Drink » Food Safety » Agricultural Use of Antibiotics Causes Risks for Humans -- Plus

Agricultural Use of Antibiotics Causes Risks for Humans -- Plus

©

The Centers for Disease Control http://www.cdc.gov maintains that action must be taken now to decrease antibiotic use in livestock to protect the efficacy of many antibiotics for humans. "It is clear that the increasing resistance in some food borne pathogens is the direct consequence of antibiotic use in food animals," says Frederick J. Angulo of CDC's National Center for Infectious Diseases. Although United States Department of Agriculture http://www.usda.gov officials chose to remain mum about the subject when approached by the magazine CHEMICAL & ENGINEERING NEWS in October the Agency's position was made clear in an April, 1999 report from the US General Accounting Office. The USDA argues that sub therapeutic levels of antibiotics in animal feed--less than 200 grams per ton--prevent low-level infections, allow animals to use feed more efficiently, and prevent serious disease outbreaks. The Agency asserts that more research is needed to prove that these positive effects are outweighed by the negative effects. The US Food and Drug Administration has drawn up a framework document that will allow scientists to assess both new and existing antibiotics. FDA is revising the document in response to the many comments received during the public comment period. The CDC asserts the FDA approach is a good first step but will take too long to implement. Banning certain of the drugs will have an almost immediate impact on reducing resistance. In 1997, the analog of the antibiotic vancomycin was withdrawn as a growth promoter in the European Union. As a result, the levels of vancomycin-resistant enterococci bacteria in humans have declined in Europe, according to Angulo of the CDC. Ever since the EU banned four human antibiotics as growth promoters in livestock, the consequences have been carefully monitored. Already, the levels of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in EU food animals have declined. In the US Congress, meanwhile, the senior Democrat on the House of Representatives health and environment subcommittee - Rep. Sherrod Brown of Ohio - introduced legislation that would ban the use of antibiotics in animal feed "if they are harmful to human health."

Nature's Infection Fighters Some infections put you at risk to permanent injury or even death. Bacterial pneumonia, clamydia, gonorrhea, kidney infect and strep throat are dangerous infections in themselves and can lead to other serious complications. Antibiotics should be normal treatment for these diseases. However there are a number of other lesser bacterial infections that can cause discomfort and pain that may be controlled by preventative measures and the use of natural remedies such as fruit juices and herbs.