Oral

Resistant bacterial infections are costly, rising and of enormous public health concern. Conventional wisdom has been that antibiotic resistance is primarily a problem generated in hospitals or by medical practice. New and emerging science suggests an expanded paradigm, one of resistance as an environmental (or ecological) problem. Under this paradigm, the current epidemic of resistance can be viewed in part as a forseeable outcome of longstanding federal policy allowing antimicrobials to be overused as pesticides, in consumer products, in livestock feed and other instances – policies that in many ways disregard fundamentals of microbiology. This panel lays out the ecological paradigm, highlights some of the evidence for its relevance, and discusses federal policy options that stem from it.

Session Objectives: 1) Describe conclusions of data released by the FDA in 2010 describing the prevalence of antimicrobial use in food animals relative to human use. 2) Explain why, in terms of ecology and microbiological fundamentals, this enormous use of antimicrobials poses a risk to public health. 3) Discuss information on associations between methods of food animal production and exposures to antibiotic resistant pathogens through food and environmental exposures.

CE Credits: Medical (CME), Health Education (CHES), Nursing (CNE), Public Health (CPH) , Masters Certified Health Education Specialist (MCHES)