M6.6: Use of Antibiotics

ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE 101: HOW ANTIBIOTIC MISUSE ON FACTORY FARMS CAN MAKE YOU SICK

It’s astonishing how much we use antibiotics for agricultural use. When one thinks of antibiotics, most of the time, the first thing that comes to mind is a sick person. Infections are what require antibiotics, not animal feed. Unfortunately, this is not the case today. As stated in the report, between 2002 and 2011, salmonella resistance to cephalosporins more than tripled in chicken breasts and almost tripled in ground turkey. I’m sure that it has only increased from 2011 to 2018.

What is even more troublesome is the fact that there is so much pushback to regulating antibiotic use in agriculture. Other countries in the European Union, such as Denmark and the Netherlands have taken great steps to reduce unnecessary use of antibiotics and improve antibiotic stewardship. They have had some success in this area. The United States has not.

It is essential that we keep working to pass legislation that bans the use of nontherapeutic antibiotics in animals. It is also important that we educate the general public on these issues; one way to reduce the amount of antibiotic resistant bacteria would be to stop supporting organizations that use nontherapeutic antibiotics for their animals. Buy local and make sure that the product is certified USDA organic. It’s a long and difficult battle, but unregulated, continued overuse of antibiotics will only cause problems in the future for both humans and animals.

NEARBY LIVESTOCK MAY RAISE 'SUPERBUG' RISK

Adding on to the last article, Dr. Ellen Silbergeld further emphasizes the dangers and consequences of nontherapeutic antibiotic use in livestock. Although it has not been proven to cause methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection or carriage, there is still an association between MRSA and living near livestock. MRSA is already a difficult infection to treat as it is resistant to antibiotics. With continued use of antibiotics in agriculture, it only leaves room for the issue to grow.

SCIENTISTS DISCOVER THAT ANTIMICROBIAL WIPES AND SOAPS MAY BE MAKING YOU (AND SOCIETY) SICK

Most of the public is unaware of the side effects or consequences of antibiotic use. While we are using it inappropriately in animals, we are also not using it correctly in medicine, or in general for that matter. I remember working in the hospital and there was an initiative to improve antibiotic stewardship. Often times, we turn to antibiotics as a simple “cure-all.” People are uneducated on the proper use of antibiotics, which has led us to the development of “superbugs” and antibiotic resistant bacteria. In addition to this, most people believe that wiping everything down with antibacterial wipes or using hand sanitizer religiously helps us stay “clean.” However, this is a misunderstanding. As mentioned in the article, a study done revealed that the antibacterial, triclosan, was less effective at reducing bacteria and preventing gastrointestinal or respiratory illnesses. Hand sanitizer can be great when you cannot wash your hands, but the best way to stay “clean” and healthy is good old-fashioned soap and water.

A REPORT ABOUT THE NEW PRACTICE OF INCORPORATING ANTIMICROBIALS INTO THE MANUFACTURE OF HOSPITAL FURNISHINGS

The information in this report was interesting to me. On one hand, I thought, “that’s cool, hospitals are so dirty.” On the other, “Is that really necessary?” We continue to overuse antibiotics, now to the point that products are manufactured with them. If this is the future, then more research is needed on the benefits and risks of this. As the report says, manufacturers should make sure that full toxicity tests are conducted and only EPA approved antibiotics are used. As the saying goes, too much of something is not always a good thing. Increasing antibiotic use contributes to more antibiotic resistance bacteria, which poses even greater health problems. We must continue to improve our antibiotic stewardship.