Non-therapeutic antibiotic use in animal agriculture: The intersection of politics, public health and microbiology

All uses of antibiotics contribute to drug resistance, and research clearly shows that resistant bacteria from food animals contribute to the problem. Antibiotics are available over the counter and are routinely and deliberately given at subtherapeutic levels to many healthy food animals in the U.S. to increase production, decrease the time from birth to slaughter, and to mask poor management practices. Non-therapeutic use of these drugs in food animals creates a large reservoir for the emergence of bacterial resistance to antibiotics. The World Health Organization recommends veterinary oversight of antibiotics in food animals and a national surveillance system to monitor antibiotic use and resistance, but that has not been instituted in the U.S. despite several proposed legislative and regulatory solutions. This roundtable will discuss the history and results of U.S. inaction, voluntary efforts by the private sector, recent attempts to monitor and mitigate through laws and policies, and the beneficial impact that passage of laws on the restricted use of antibiotics in food animal production on public health.