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J. Bishop

bishopj@whidbey.net
P.O. Box 1601
Stanwood, WA 98292
United States

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Overuse of Antibiotics on Livestock
by Janet Bishop

One-time wonder drugs have become increasingly ineffective due to the ability of bacteria to adapt to antibiotics. The germs resistance appears to be advanced by repeated exposure to antibiotics.

The overdose of drugs on farm animals in the U.S. means many of the animals carry their drug-resistant bacteria right to the nation's dinner tables. Farmers can buy the antibiotics right over the counter, and most of the drugs are used to promote growth-a use which is not often intended for humans.

Our public health officials are seeing increases in dangerous cases of drug resistance to salmonella and campylobacter, both of which cause serious gastrointestinal illness in people.

Europe bans the use of antibiotics for growth promotion in animals, if the particular drug is also prescribed for humans. That is simple common sense. The U.S., I believe,ought to follow Europe's practice-instead of feuding with Europe about this.

It's a lot more important to be able to treat deadly infections than to make farms even more competitive in their efficiency of meat production.

Development of new antibiotics slowed considerably in the '80s.Though now pharmaceutical researchers are hard at work, finishing the complex process of bringing drugs to the public can last 10 years.

The FDA should follow Europe's practice, if FDA lacks the power to issue outright bans on antibiotics for animal use, as one official claims, Congress should act immediately before the problem gets any worse.

Optionally, we could all become vegetarians.