dieseltaylor Posted April 9, 2009 Share Posted April 9, 2009 more antibiotics were fed to animals in North Carolina alone than were administered to the nation’s entire human population. I have been unhappy with the concept of antibiotics for healthy animals for sometime, and also agribusinesses that control food production in the US, but this article shows how far and dangerous the situation is. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/12/opinion/12kristof.html?_r=1 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/15/opinion/15kristof.html We don’t add antibiotics to baby food and Cocoa Puffs so that children get fewer ear infections. That’s because we understand that the overuse of antibiotics is already creating “superbugs” resistant to medication.Yet we continue to allow agribusiness companies to add antibiotics to animal feed so that piglets stay healthy and don’t get ear infections. Seventy percent of all antibiotics in the United States go to healthy livestock, according to a careful study by the Union of Concerned Scientists — and that’s one reason we’re seeing the rise of pathogens that defy antibiotics. As the articles point out the nasty side effects it is worth reading. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
costard Posted April 9, 2009 Share Posted April 9, 2009 We're going to see a rise in antibiotic-resistant pathogens in any case as a natural adaptation / survival of the fittest process - it is the scale of the rate of emergence of those pathogens that is accelerated through this prophylactic use of ABs (and it is hardly even prophylactic - the driver is simple economics). I suspect that you've already seen a couple of worrying superbugs over the last few years - the kidney destroying bacterium from the petting zoo in Florida (I think it was Florida) and the avian influenzas are likely candidates. When the outbreaks occur in wealthy nations and are classified as emergencies you'll undoubtedly see a lot of resources poured into finding the mode of action that counters the threat: the humanitarian disaster occurs when the affected populace has limited access to the funds or expertise to counter the threat and a pandemic results. Think sub-Shaharan Africa in particular. After all, that's where AIDS and ebola come from... 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wicky Posted April 9, 2009 Share Posted April 9, 2009 IIRC influenza is virus based - while antibiotics are used against bacterial infections We're going to see a rise in antibiotic-resistant pathogens in any case as a natural adaptation / survival of the fittest process - ... the avian influenzas are likely candidates. W 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
costard Posted April 9, 2009 Share Posted April 9, 2009 IIRC influenza is virus based - while antibiotics are used against bacterial infections You are, of course, correct. I claim brain fart due to an elegant sufficiency of pinot noir. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clavicula_Nox Posted April 9, 2009 Share Posted April 9, 2009 It's good to see North Carolina spearheading this mess... 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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