M6.6 Use of Antibiotics

ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE 101: HOW ANTIBIOTIC MISUSE ON FACTORY FARMS CAN MAKE YOU SICK

Reading this article was an eye opener. Every time I have purchased meat and I noticed that some have labels that no antibiotics are used, but I never really stopped and thought about the implications of using antibiotics in meats. This article discusses the use of antibiotics for nontherapeutic purposes in livestock. Surprisingly, 80% of antibiotics in the U.S are sold for this sole purpose. With the increase use of nontherapeutic antibiotic, there has been an increase in antibiotic-resistant bacteria, causing a public health threat to human health. With the use of antibiotics in livestock, the antibiotics are losing its effectiveness in treating illness in humans. For example, when antibiotics are used, some bacteria are killed but some survive. Those that survive become resistant to the antibiotic and replicate themselves. Not only do they create more copies of themselves, but they are able to transfer part of their DNA to neighbouring bacteria, creating even more antibiotic-resistant bacteria. In 2011, Food & Water watch analyzed retail meat samples. In the samples collected, they found antibiotic-resistant E.coli in 66% of ground turkey, 53% of chicken breasts, 15% of pork chops, and 9% of ground beef; these numbers are alarming. If bacteria is been found in retail meat products, humans are being contaminated at high levels. If individuals are being contaminated with antibiotic-resistant bacteria, the use of antibiotics to treat that individual becomes harder to do so. Little has been done to address the issue. The FDA has placed limited regulations on the use of antibiotics in livestock. In order to solve the issue of antibiotic-resistant bacteria being found in meat products, the use of antibiotics for nontherapeutic used should be stopped. Congress needs to be involved and advocate for  the well-being of all individuals. Since 2003, legislation has been introduced in Congress to limit the use of antibiotics in livestock, like the Preservation of Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act (PAMTA). But like many legislation introduced to Congress, the side that benefits the corporations that will be affected, always wins. Without any proper laws created by the U.S to limit the use of antibiotics, the increase in antibiotic-resistant bacteria will continue to be a threat to human health. 

NEARBY LIVESTOCK MAY RAISE 'SUPERBUG' RISK

Methicilin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus or MRSA, is a specific bacteria that is resistant to antibiotics. Livestock related MRSA has increasingly been found in individuals who have no contact with livestock. This raises a concern to identify the route of contamination as this type of bacteria is hard to treat. The article describes that those individuals that lived in areas that had livestock had and increase risk of carrying MRSA. Even though the article does not state the explanation for such an increase risk, it's very important to be able to inform individuals of such risks, especially those that live nearby livestock. This is personally very alarming. I live in an area surrounded by farms and livestock and such risks are not heard of. 

SCIENTISTS DISCOVER THAT ANTIMICROBIAL WIPES AND SOAPS MAY BE MAKING YOU (AND SOCIETY) SICK

One of the biggest reasons why we use antimicrobial wipes and disinfectants is for that reason, they are antimicrobial, or at least I thought they were. This article discusses the antimicrobial products beeing advertised as "better" are actually causing more harm. These products contain the product triclosan, which has increasingly been used in other products to decrease microbial load. In a study conducted at Columbia University, researchers found that the use of antibiotic soaps by chronically sick patients was associated with an increase in infections compared to those sick patients that used nonbacterial soap. This study brings up the question whether the use of antibacterial soap is actually better than regular soap. I believe that the use of chemicals like triclosan in these products are actually causing products to loose their effects.