One medicine: Human health impacts of industrial animal production beyond food safety

Human and veterinary medical practitioners have embraced the idea of “one medicine”. However, most U.S. meat production today takes place in industrialized settings, characterized by the routine use of human antibiotics, including cephalosporins, and heavy metals, such as arsenic, which impact human health. In many cases, the FDA's approval of these legal practices predates awareness of associated human health concerns. This paper summarizes the recent science around two particular examples: the use of 3rd and 4th generation cephalosporin antibiotics, now associated with emergence of community-acquired very antibiotic-resistant (ESBL) E. coli infections; and the routine use of organic arsenic in animal feed, now associated with arsenic-contaminated poultry meats, and the spread of inorganic arsenic -- a known human carcinogen -- in the broader farm environments. ESBL E. coli and arsenic contamination are both public health crises that transcend national boundaries. This talk will review steps that could be taken by the U.S. Congress and by the FDA to bring veterinary practice more in line with human health goals under a “One Medicine” framework.