Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #103641

John Balbus, MD, MPH, Environmental Health, Environmental Defense, 1875 Connecticut Ave., NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC 20009, 202-572-3316, jbalbus@environmentaldefense.org

Despite longstanding concerns that the use of antimicrobials in agriculture contributes to antimicrobial resistance, large quantities of antimicrobials continue to be fed to chickens, swine and beef cattle—not to treat disease, but rather to promote growth and compensate for crowded and often unsanitary conditions on industrial-scale farms. Many of these drugs are identical or related to those used in human medicine. Growing scientific evidence indicates that the extensive use of these antimicrobial feed additives helps spur the development and spread of resistant bacteria that can cause disease in people.

This paper presents state- and county-specific estimates of the quantities of antimicrobials used as feed additives for chicken, hogs, and beef cattle. The paper also includes state and county estimates of the quantities of antimicrobials excreted in animal waste resulting from such feed-additive use. The estimates were derived using data from the 2002 USDA Census of Agriculture (the most recent available) in conjunction with per-animal estimates of antimicrobial feed-additive use by the Union of Concerned Scientists in developing nationwide estimates of antimicrobial feed additive use (that report did not provide state and county estimates).

The paper also reviews other recent studies on the presence of antimicrobials and antimicrobial-resistant bacteria in environmental media, including air, water, and soil related to the use of antimicrobials in agriculture.

Learning Objectives:

• Ability to understand the use of antibiotics in animal agriculture (therapeutic and non-therapeutic uses).
• Understand the impacts on the environment and consequent potential impacts on public health.
• Understand the county and state amounts of antibiotics used in animal agriculture as well as the antibiotics excreted in wastes in these areas.

Keywords: Antibiotic Resistance, Emerging Health Issues

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.

Recorded presentation