What are the pros and cons of using antibiotics in animal feed?
Pros:
Cons:
Authors: Jenn Eye, Jen Paulson, and Joe Rager
Total Word Count: 200
My Words: 0
DISCLAIMER: Parts of this website are fictional and were created for a class. Please email my instructor with questions: [email protected].
Pros:
- Animals receiving antibiotics in their feed gain 4% to 5% more body weight than animals that do not receive antibiotics.
- Antibiotics are used for treatment of animal disease and/or disease prevention.
- Livestock treated with antibiotics live longer than those who are not treated.
- The shelf life is extended for meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products when treated with antibiotics.
Cons:
- Widespread antibiotic use has led to multidrug-resistant pathogens.
- A joint National Research Council/Institute of Medicine panel has concluded that antibiotic-resistant human diseases have "clearly occurred" due to bacteria from antibiotic-treated livestock.
- 1970s: High doses of antibiotics given to chickens leads to resistant Salmonella strains found in both meat and eggs. In 1983, this phenomenon was also demonstrated for low-level use of antibiotics in livestock.
- Fluoroquinolones used in livestock animals can contribute to increased resistance in foodborne bacteria which can then infect humans. For example, the Minnesota Health Department found that 70% of the chicken meat samples they collected were contaminated with campylobacter, and that 20% of the infected meat carried a resistant strain.
Authors: Jenn Eye, Jen Paulson, and Joe Rager
Total Word Count: 200
My Words: 0
DISCLAIMER: Parts of this website are fictional and were created for a class. Please email my instructor with questions: [email protected].