CDC: Half of antibiotic use unnecessary
September 16, 2013 | 05:40 PM
The Centers for Disease Control today released a new report warning that antibiotic resistance poses “a serious threat to public health” because it interferes with the treatment of disease.
“Up to half of antibiotic use in humans and much of antibiotic use in animals is unnecessary,” the Atlanta-based CDC said. “The commitment to always use antibiotics appropriately and safely — only when they are needed to treat disease — and to choose the right antibiotics and to administer them in the right way in every case is known as antibiotic stewardship.”
The CDC listed improving antibiotic use and stewardship as one of “four core actions critical to halting resistance.”
The other actions listed by the CDC are preventing infections and their spread, tracking antibiotic-resistant infections, and developing drugs and diagnostic tests.
Consumers Union said the report is another reason major supermarkets should stop selling any meat or poultry that comes from animals routinely fed antibiotics for growth promotion or disease prevention.
Rep. Louise Slaughter, D-N.Y.
Rep. Louise Slaughter, D-N.Y., who is a microbiologist, said the report means that the Food and Drug Administration should “replace their non-binding recommendations with clear guidelines limiting the use of antibiotics in healthy food-animals and strengthening the collection of data regarding antibiotic use on the farm.”
“I have already drafted legislation to require these steps, and I will continue to press both the executive branch and my colleagues in Congress to take action to stop this growing crisis,” Slaughter added.
Wenonah Hauter
Wenonah Hauter, executive director of Food & Water Watch, said the report showed that “the link between sub-therapeutic use in food animals and antibiotic-resistance in humans is clear, and we must follow through on the center’s recommendations to stop the misuse of antibiotics in farm animals.”
“Right now, 80 percent of the antibiotics used in the U.S. are used for industrial agriculture, and most of these drugs are routinely fed to animals to make them grow faster and compensate for filthy conditions,” Hauter said. “This is done to help the meat industry execute on its highly consolidated business model for profit. And the American public pays through antibiotic-resistant infections.”
She said the CDC report “should be a wake-up call” for FDA to regulate antibiotics and for Congress to pass legislation “that would stop the abuse of medically important antibiotics on factory farms.”
The bills are H.R.1150, the Preservation of Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act (PAMTA) and S. 1256, the Preventing Antibiotic Resistance Act (PARA).
The Animal Health Institute, which represents animal drug manufacturers, said the report showed that “the largest antibiotic resistance threats are not connected to the use of antibiotics to keep food animals healthy.”
“Of the 18 specific antibiotic resistant threats discussed in the report, only two have possible connections to antibiotic use in food animals,” a statement from the group said.
“One is campylobacter, where resistance to ciprofloxacin in human infections has continued to rise since FDA removed a related animal drug from the market eight years ago. The other is salmonella, where recent research in the United Kingdom finds the drug resistant strains of this bacterium in humans and animals are not similar and thus human infections did not originate in UK animal populations.”
“The report also provides support for FDA’s policy of phasing out growth promotion uses of medically important antibiotics and phasing in veterinary oversight,” AHI said. “We have long stated our support for this policy and companies are currently working with FDA on implementation. Along with other stakeholders, we would like FDA to publish final guidance as soon as possible.”
“Up to half of antibiotic use in humans and much of antibiotic use in animals is unnecessary,” the Atlanta-based CDC said. “The commitment to always use antibiotics appropriately and safely — only when they are needed to treat disease — and to choose the right antibiotics and to administer them in the right way in every case is known as antibiotic stewardship.”
The CDC listed improving antibiotic use and stewardship as one of “four core actions critical to halting resistance.”
The other actions listed by the CDC are preventing infections and their spread, tracking antibiotic-resistant infections, and developing drugs and diagnostic tests.
Consumers Union said the report is another reason major supermarkets should stop selling any meat or poultry that comes from animals routinely fed antibiotics for growth promotion or disease prevention.
Rep. Louise Slaughter, D-N.Y.
Rep. Louise Slaughter, D-N.Y., who is a microbiologist, said the report means that the Food and Drug Administration should “replace their non-binding recommendations with clear guidelines limiting the use of antibiotics in healthy food-animals and strengthening the collection of data regarding antibiotic use on the farm.”
“I have already drafted legislation to require these steps, and I will continue to press both the executive branch and my colleagues in Congress to take action to stop this growing crisis,” Slaughter added.
Wenonah Hauter
Wenonah Hauter, executive director of Food & Water Watch, said the report showed that “the link between sub-therapeutic use in food animals and antibiotic-resistance in humans is clear, and we must follow through on the center’s recommendations to stop the misuse of antibiotics in farm animals.”
“Right now, 80 percent of the antibiotics used in the U.S. are used for industrial agriculture, and most of these drugs are routinely fed to animals to make them grow faster and compensate for filthy conditions,” Hauter said. “This is done to help the meat industry execute on its highly consolidated business model for profit. And the American public pays through antibiotic-resistant infections.”
She said the CDC report “should be a wake-up call” for FDA to regulate antibiotics and for Congress to pass legislation “that would stop the abuse of medically important antibiotics on factory farms.”
The bills are H.R.1150, the Preservation of Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act (PAMTA) and S. 1256, the Preventing Antibiotic Resistance Act (PARA).
The Animal Health Institute, which represents animal drug manufacturers, said the report showed that “the largest antibiotic resistance threats are not connected to the use of antibiotics to keep food animals healthy.”
“Of the 18 specific antibiotic resistant threats discussed in the report, only two have possible connections to antibiotic use in food animals,” a statement from the group said.
“One is campylobacter, where resistance to ciprofloxacin in human infections has continued to rise since FDA removed a related animal drug from the market eight years ago. The other is salmonella, where recent research in the United Kingdom finds the drug resistant strains of this bacterium in humans and animals are not similar and thus human infections did not originate in UK animal populations.”
“The report also provides support for FDA’s policy of phasing out growth promotion uses of medically important antibiotics and phasing in veterinary oversight,” AHI said. “We have long stated our support for this policy and companies are currently working with FDA on implementation. Along with other stakeholders, we would like FDA to publish final guidance as soon as possible.”
