The Food and Drug Administration announced yesterday that farmers must restrict use of certain antibiotics in cattle, pigs, chickens and turkeys because overuse may have contributed to development of bacteria strains resistant to the antibiotics, which are also used in humans. The medicines targeted by FDA are cephalosporins, and are most commonly prescribed to treat pneumonia, strep throat and skin and urinary tract infections. They are also popular among pediatricians.
The rule only restricts some uses of cephalosporins, allowing veterinarians to continue using them to treat sick animals in ways the FDA hasn't approved, reports Gardiner Harris of The New York Times. This rule only restricts direct injection of the drug into chicken eggs and large and lengthy dosing in cattle and pigs. A similar rule was proposed in 2008, but Dr. Christine Hoang, assistant director of scientific activities at the American Veterinary Medical Association, told Harris the latest rule is a "vast improvement" from the first proposal. “We thought the original order was too broad and unnecessarily prohibited uses that were not likely to cause problems for human health,” Dr. Hoang told Harris.
When antibiotics were developed, farmers were "enamored" with the effects on their cattle, chickens and pigs, and added the drug in bulk to animal feed and water, Harris reports. By the 1970s, public-health officials worried that overuse in animals was creating "killer infections resistant to treatment." Now, many microbiologists say the drugs' use in agriculture has led to thousands of human deaths because of drug resistance. Last year, the FDA banned use of fluoroquinolones, a powerful class of antibiotics. Harris reports Wednesday's announcement is another step to limit farmers' use of antibiotics. (Read more)
The rule only restricts some uses of cephalosporins, allowing veterinarians to continue using them to treat sick animals in ways the FDA hasn't approved, reports Gardiner Harris of The New York Times. This rule only restricts direct injection of the drug into chicken eggs and large and lengthy dosing in cattle and pigs. A similar rule was proposed in 2008, but Dr. Christine Hoang, assistant director of scientific activities at the American Veterinary Medical Association, told Harris the latest rule is a "vast improvement" from the first proposal. “We thought the original order was too broad and unnecessarily prohibited uses that were not likely to cause problems for human health,” Dr. Hoang told Harris.
When antibiotics were developed, farmers were "enamored" with the effects on their cattle, chickens and pigs, and added the drug in bulk to animal feed and water, Harris reports. By the 1970s, public-health officials worried that overuse in animals was creating "killer infections resistant to treatment." Now, many microbiologists say the drugs' use in agriculture has led to thousands of human deaths because of drug resistance. Last year, the FDA banned use of fluoroquinolones, a powerful class of antibiotics. Harris reports Wednesday's announcement is another step to limit farmers' use of antibiotics. (Read more)
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