Posted on 04/23/2007 5:25:57 AM PDT by A. Pole
ANTIBIOTICS, one of the great medical advances of the 20th century, are being threatened by their careless use in the 21st century. Time and again, disease-causing bacteria in humans become resistant to antibiotics because they are prescribed for the wrong conditions or because patients fail to complete the full course of the prescription. A third, highly avoidable cause of resistance is the use of antibiotics in poultry or livestock.
The Food and Drug Administration has before it now an application to use on cattle an antibiotic from a family of antibiotics crucial to treating humans. The agency should follow the advice of its veterinary advisory committee and turn thumbs down on this bid.
The antibiotic is cefquinome. Intervet, the world's third largest animal health company, wants to sell it for treatment of bovine respiratory disease, or "shipping disease," which occurs frequently when cattle are shipped in trucks or rail cars to feed lots and are then kept in close confinement.
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there are alternative drugs to use with cattle and the disease would be much less common if the industry would change the conditions under which cattle are raised and prepared for slaughter
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Cefquinome belongs to a class of antibiotics known as cephalosporins. According to the president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, Dr. Jay E. Berelhamer, this class of drugs is widely used in children, who are particularly dependent on antibiotics in cases of infection because their immune systems are less developed than those of adults.
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"If widespread use of cefquinome leads to resistance to it . . . , the consequences could be severe for our most vulnerable patients," he wrote.
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The FDA should take the advice of the doctors and place the continued effectiveness of antibiotics above the profit margins of cattlemen.
(Excerpt) Read more at boston.com ...
Free Market bump!
But I wonder what other country’s are doing?? I agree, antibiotics in feed is horrible - especially extending the varieties. It’s standard fare in a lot of feed already.
I’m curious...as an analogy, how would you apply free market principles to a medical quarantine?
In humans, it's called "Jet Lag"..........
Redesign the food distribution system bookmark for later.
Food is one are where I FIRMLY believe cheap is bad. I will pay the price for locally sourced food that has been handled properly and not processed more than is absolutely required to cook it.
A good rule of thumb when cooking: "Ingredients should not have ingredients."
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