Animal Antibiotics Under Scrutiny

A growing body of scientific evidence suggests there is a link between the routine use of antibiotics in healthy farm animals and the rise in drug-resistant bacteria in humans. Until recently, however, it has been difficult to prove that such bacteria can be transmitted from livestock to humans. A pair of groundbreaking studies now confirms that animal-to-human transmission of drug-resistant bacteria can occur. This evidence is putting new pressure on the Food & Drug Administration to go beyond its voluntary calls for limits on antibiotic use in animal production. It’s also giving some members of Congress more reason to push for legislation that addresses antibiotic use in animals. In one study published earlier this month, researchers found a strain of drug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacteria associated with livestock in the noses of workers in North Carolina who handle antibiotic-fed animals but not in the noses of those who handle antibiotic-free animals ...