![]() ![]() We also review key national and international policies on use of antibiotics in food animals. The aim of this review is to examine the scope and nature of antibiotic use in food animals and summarize its potential impact on human health. Given divergent stakeholder interests and inadequate research to date, public policy discussions of this issue are often contentious and highly polarized. While antibiotic use in food animals may represent a risk to human health, the degree and relative impact have not been well characterized. 10 – 15 Commensal bacteria found in livestock are frequently present in fresh meat products and may serve as reservoirs for resistant genes that could potentially be transferred to pathogenic organisms in humans. ![]() The potential threat to human health resulting from inappropriate antibiotic use in food animals is significant, as pathogenic-resistant organisms propagated in these livestock are poised to enter the food supply and could be widely disseminated in food products. There is also considerable debate in veterinary medicine regarding use of antibiotics in animals raised for human consumption (food animals). 8, 9 In practice, however, clinicians must balance the utilitarian goal of preserving the effectiveness of antibiotics with ethical obligations to patients who present with conditions that are unlikely to be harmed and may benefit from antibiotic use. International, national, and local antibiotic stewardship campaigns have been developed to encourage prudent use of and limit unnecessary exposure to antibiotics, with the ultimate goal of preserving their effectiveness for serious and life-threatening infections. 4 The emergence of drug resistance has been observed following the introduction of each new class of antibiotics, and the threat is compounded by a slow drug development pipeline and limited investment in the discovery and development of new antibiotic agents. In the presence of antibiotics, advantageous mutations can also be transferred via plasmid exchange within the bacterial colony, resulting in proliferation of the resistance trait. ![]() 3 Due to normal genetic variation in bacterial populations, individual organisms may carry mutations that render antibiotics ineffective, conveying a survival advantage to the mutated strain. 1, 2 An inherent consequence of exposure to antibiotic compounds, antibiotic resistance arises as a result of natural selection. While once believed to be the province of hospitals and other health-care facilities, a host of community factors are now known to promote antibiotic resistance, and community-associated resistant strains have now been implicated as the cause of many hospital-acquired infections. Antibiotic resistance is a looming public health crisis. ![]()
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