When public health talks in the U.S. turn to antibiotic resistance, the conversation invariably leads to the use of antibiotics in food animals. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has confirmed that 80 percent of antibacterial drugs in the U.S. are sold for agricultural use. And Department of Agriculture (DOA) surveys have found that 83 percent to 84 percent of swine farms, cattle feedlots and sheep farms administer antimicrobials in feed or water, which can lead to inconsistent dosing. Many of those drugs are identical or closely related to human drugs.
In newly released voluntary guidance likely to significantly limit such use of antimicrobial drugs, the FDA cites numerous peer-reviewed scientific studies, along with a host of reports dating back to 1969 from groups including the World Health Organization and the Institute of Medicine, suggesting a relationship between the injudicious use of antibiotics in food-producing animals and antibiotic resistance.
