{"id":46094,"date":"2019-07-18T09:00:45","date_gmt":"2019-07-18T14:00:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/?p=46094"},"modified":"2019-07-08T08:31:14","modified_gmt":"2019-07-08T13:31:14","slug":"%ef%bb%bfdont-be-like-everyone-else-get-the-facts-on-antibiotics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/?p=46094","title":{"rendered":"\ufeffDon\u2019t be like everyone else \u2013 get the facts on antibiotics"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Sarah Stevenson<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bonner Springs junior<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

 When antibiotics were first approved by the Food and Drug\nAdministration to feed to livestock in the 1950s, it had a monumental impact on\nhow we look at agriculture today. Antibiotics have not only helped humans live\nlonger, but also led them to go on and live healthier lives. It also had the\nsame effect on livestock, helping them become healthier and also more\nefficient. The amount of money that is being put into feed costs and supplement\ncosts decreased because producers used a lot less to gain a lot more. Without\nantibiotics, beef production might not have been able to keep up with demand\ndue to illness, disease, and sickness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMedia reports often cite the total amount of antibiotics used in\nanimals in a given year and sound alarms if it reflects an increase over the\nprevious year,\u201d according to the North American Meat Institute publication \u201cThe\nFacts About Antibiotics in Livestock & Poultry Production: Sort Fact from\nFiction.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The report continues, \u201cHowever, looking at the total volume used\nis a poor measure of appropriate use because livestock herds and poultry flocks\nshrink and expand with feed costs and other marketplace factors. Larger herds\nand flocks will, inevitably, require more medical treatment. In addition, if a\ncontagious disease has impacted our herds and flocks, more antibiotics may be\nrequired that year.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Antibiotics that are used in U.S. food production today are\ninjected into animals by subcutaneous (under the skin) or intramuscular routes\n(into the muscle, just like humans). They also can be mixed in drinking water\n(not often done with cattle), or by mixing it with their daily feed. When\ninjectables are used, they are typically only given to cattle that are sick or\nat risk of getting sick from some type of infection or from other cows. They\nare used as needed, because it puts the handler and the cow at risk because it\nputs extra stress on that animal that is not needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most products that are used in livestock production today need a\nprescription from a veterinarian. Ranchers use antibiotics that best fit the\nherds\u2019 needs in order to keep them healthy and strong. Ranchers must form a\nbond with their local veterinarian in order to get the right medications and to\nuse them properly. A veterinary client-patient relationship is required by\nstate and federal regulations for the dispensing of antibiotics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Various antibiotics are used in livestock production, such\nas penicillin, tetracycline, ceftiofur,\nflorfenicol, tilmicosin, enrofloxacin, and tulathromycin. Different types\nof medicines are used to treat or control disease for the survival of the\nanimal or to prevent disease when it is likely, such as at times of stress like\nweaning. All of the antibiotics listed above are classified as \u201cmedically\nimportant\u201d\u2019 because they are used in both a<\/em>nimals and humans. Drugs\nsuch as ionophores are considered \u201cnot medically important\u201d because they are\nonly used in animals. The industry has taken steps to have stronger oversight\nof all medically important drugs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While some antibiotics are used in both humans\nand animals, the NAMI publication \u201cThe Facts About Antibiotics,\u201d\ncited above, shows that \u201cthe vast majority of\nantibiotics are used in either people or in animals \u2013 not both.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A common misconception is that reducing the\nvolume of antibiotics used in agriculture would benefit human health. However,\nthat theory lacks evidence to support it, as noted by researchers at the\nUniversity of Edinburgh. They found that \u201creducing the\nrate of transmission of resistance from animals to humans may be more effective\nthan simply reducing consumption of antibiotics in food animals, and that\nresponse to any intervention is strongly determined by the rate of transmission\nfrom humans to animals.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Consumers also wonder if these antibiotics are still in the\nmeat. When antibiotics are given to cattle, they go through an FDA\nmandated withdrawal time after treatment, which is the waiting period for the\ntreatment to be processed by the animal tissues so the amount remaining is at a\nsafe level when the cattle go to slaughter. The withdrawal is specific for each\nantibiotic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When animals are being shipped to slaughter facilities throughout\nthe country, the USDA\u2019s Food Safety Inspection Services randomly test for\nantibiotics in carcasses to ensure meat packaged for human consumption is free\nof any illegal antibiotic residue. If found, the meat is condemned and does not\nenter the food supply. The cattle operators responsible are fined heavily and\ncan be imprisoned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even though this doesn\u2019t happen very often, when it does you can\nalways look on the FSIS website www.fsis.usda.gov\/wps\/portal\/fsis\/home<\/a> and\nfind these reports and add comments and suggestions to what you think needs to\nbe changed and fixed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The take-home message is that there are beneficial factors of\nusing antibiotics. When used correctly, they make herds healthier and help\nprevent well-known illnesses. The industry continues to balance the need for\nantibiotics in animals and humans for battling disease and is working to\naddress antibiotic resistance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sarah Stevenson, a 2016 Turner High School graduate, is a junior majoring in animal science at Fort Hays State University. She is the daughter of Sherri and Calvin Stevenson, Bonner Springs.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This essay on a topic in agriculture was researched and written by a student as part of a project in a senior animal science class at Fort Hays State University. The project director is Dr. Brittany Howell, associate professor of agriculture, bjhowell@fhsu.edu<\/a>, 785-628-4015.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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