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Transcript
antibiotics growth and to compensate for the unsanitary conditions in which they are raised. Bacteria are everywhere, including on the skin and in the digestive system of humans. While bacteria are critical to normal bodily functions, some types can cause illness. In humans, antibiotics are used to treat health conditions caused by bacteria, including ear and skin infections, food poisoning, pneumonia, meningitis and other serious illnesses. Antibiotics are also used to treat or prevent infections that can complicate critical medical procedures including surgery, cancer therapy, and transplants. What are Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria? Just as immunization helps the human body fight disease by exposing the body to small amounts of a virus or bacteria, when bacteria are continually exposed to small amounts of antibiotics they can develop immunity to them. These are called “resistant bacteria” because they have adapted to the point where antibiotics can no longer kill them. As a result, some antibiotics have lost their effectiveness against specific infectious diseases. One example is staphylococcus aureus, a bacteria that is the most common cause of staph infections, which can cause pneumonia, meningitis, toxic shock, skin abscesses, heart valve infections and other serious and deadly medical conditions. In the United States, almost every strain of s. aureus is now resistant to the antibiotics oxacillin, penicillin and amoxicillin, and strains of the disease have begun developing resistance to newer drugs like methicillin and vancomycin. The threat of prolonged illness or death from an s. aureus infection has increased as fewer drugs are able to effectively control or eliminate it. Antibiotics and the Animal Industry Industrial farms have been mixing antibiotics into livestock feed since 1946, when studies showed that the drugs cause animals to grow faster and put on weight more efficiently, increasing meat producers’ profits. Today 70 percent of all antibiotics used in the United States are fed to healthy farm livestock and fish on industrial farms to promote faster Modern industrial farms are ideal breeding grounds for germs and disease. Animals live in close confinement, often standing or laying in their own filth, and under constant stress that inhibits their immune systems and makes them more prone to infection. When drug-resistant bacteria develop at industrial livestock facilities they can then reach the human population through food, the environment (i.e., water, soil, and air), or by direct contact with animals (i.e., farmers and farm workers). It is estimated that as much as 80 to 90 percent of all antibiotics given to animals are not fully digested and eventually pass through the body and enter the environment, where they can encounter new bacteria and create additional resistant strains. With huge quantities of manure routinely sprayed onto fields surrounding CAFOs, antibiotic resistant bacteria can leech into surface and ground water, contaminating drinking wells and endangering the health of people living close to large livestock facilities. Antibiotic Resistance, Public Health and Public Policy Antibiotic-resistant bacteria is a growing public health crisis because infections from resistant bacteria are increasingly difficult and expensive to treat. It has been estimated that at least 18,000 Americans die every year from drug-resistant infections. In addition, the National Academy of Sciences calculates that increased health care costs associated with antibiotic-resistant bacteria exceed $4 billion each year in the United States alone. Although everyone is at risk when antibiotics stop working, the threat is greatest for young children, the elderly, and people with weakened immune systems, including cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy, organ transplant patients and, in general, people whose health is compromised in some way. (continued) [email protected] ® www.sustainabletable.org antibiotics (cont’d) Sustainable Alternatives Ending the routine use of antibiotics in animal agriculture is not only critical, it is quite feasible. In fact, that is how livestock was raised for thousands of years, right up until the mid-20th Century. According to a study by the National Academy of Sciences, banning non-therapeutic use of antibiotics on livestock farms might increase the average consumer’s food costs by between $4.85 and $9.72 a year, a small price to pay for the expected accompanying decrease in health care costs. The study also suggested that a ban would not affect the profits of farmers who use good management methods. Today, many small, sustainable farmers do not use antibiotics at all, in large part because they don’t have to compensate for unhealthy conditions. On sustainable farms, animals are raised in a clean environment that promotes their health. Other sustainable farmers use antibiotics, but only to treat sick animals. Federal standards prohibit antibiotic use in animals whose meat will be certified organic. In the Eat Well Guide, farms where antibiotics are never given to animals carry the label “no antibiotic use,” while those where antibiotics are only used to treat a sick animal carry the label “no routine antibiotic use.” In these instances, a suitable amount of time must pass after an animal is treated and before its meat, milk or eggs can enter the food supply. Did You Know? One out of six cases of campylobacter infection, (the most common cause of bacterial food poisoning), is resistant to the antibiotic most often used to treat severe food poisoning. Today nearly all strains of staphylococcal (staph) infections in the United States are resistant to penicillin, and many are resistant to newer drugs. Non-therapeutic use of antibiotics has increased by about 50 percent since 1985. What You Can Do... void buying meat, milk or eggs from A animals that were routinely fed antibiotics. F ind a source of sustainably-raised products close to home using the Eat Well Guide. Community Supported Agriculture programs, farmers’ markets, food co-ops, and many health food stores sell sustainably-raised food. A dvocate for change. Consumers can help change food policy. Urge the government and industry to stop unnecessary antibiotic use in agriculture. Don’t take antibiotics unless you have a bacterial infection! Colds and other viral-based illness cannot be treated with antibiotics. To find sustainably raised products near you visit www.eatwellguide.org. ® Find more detailed information about Animal Welfare on our website at www.sustainabletable.org/animalwelfare. Find more detailed information about antibiotics on our website at www.sustainabletable.org/issues/antibiotics. [email protected] ® www.sustainabletable.org