According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, microorganisms’ resistance to antimicrobial agents is a serious problem in our modern society. The largest nonhuman use of antimicrobial agents is in food-animal production, and most of this is used in healthy animals to increase growth or prevent potential diseases. The use of antimicrobial agents in animal feed is estimated by the FDA to be over 100 million pounds per year. According to many experts, between 40% and 80% of the antimicrobial agents used in the United States each year are given to food animals, such as cows, pigs, and chickens. This practice is especially prevalent in industrial farming operations. Many of the antimicrobial agents in animal feed are identical or similar to drugs used in humans to treat diseases caused by microorganisms.
Such nontherapeutic uses of antimicrobials contribute to drug resistance. That in turn, creates very serious health dangers for humans, especially children and older adults. The reason is very simple; one of the most efficient ways to select for resistance genes in microorganism is to expose them to low doses of broad-spectrum antimicrobial agents over a long period of time. After a period of time, the antimicrobial agents may have no adverse effect on drug resistant microorganisms.
When farm animals become colonized with resistant microorganisms, these organisms can eventually reach humans through the food chain, direct contact, or contamination of water or crops from animal excreta. Thus, many doctors and scientists warn that our society’s overuse or misuse of antimicrobial agents in animal feed is partially responsible for microorganisms’ increasing resistance to antimicrobial agents.
Something to think about that the next time you or your child need a therapeutic antimicrobial drug.
Posted by: Attorney Sanders
Categories:
Food Products
Food Supply