Where antibiotics go
SOURCE: A. HOLLIS AND Z. AHMED/NEJM 2013; CHICKEN: PINARE/SHUTTERSTOCK; OTHER ICONS: E. OTWELL
Of the 51 tons of antibiotics consumed every day in the United States, about 80 percent goes into animal production (above). The widespread use of antibiotics in livestock may be contributing to growing resistance to the drugs by bacteria such as Salmonella (below). In December, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration enacted a voluntary program phasing out antibiotics used to make livestock grow bigger.
A. Hollis and Z. Ahmed. Preserving antibiotics, rationally. New England Journal of Medicine. Vol. 369, December 26, 2013, p. 2474. doi: 10.1056/NEJMp1311479
Untreatable: Report by CDC details today’s drug-resistant health threats. U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Published online September 16, 2013.
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