Working for the Enemy

            After all this extensive talk about the science behind antibiotic resistance, and possible alternatives for the future, it’s time to address what solutions can be put in place immediately. These solutions can be put in place through policy changes and greater awareness. Which is why it needs to be noted that antibiotics are here to stay for the time being because there have been no concrete alternatives yet. Bacteriophage therapy is a possible solution but great science takes time and rushing a solution from such an unknown source can be extremely risky. It may take years before alternative medicines engineered from bacteriophages can effectively eliminate all possible bacterial infections and used without any harmful side effects.

         If changes can be made to the way people use these drugs or to the areas where these drugs are used profusely then maybe we can make antibiotics work for us until a foreseeable future where these drugs are no longer needed.

         What are these changes? Well…most of them are simple common sense ones that can be done by the individual through making good choices everyday. As mentioned in previous articles people can be more careful when taking their doses of antibiotics, finishing all their prescribed courses properly, using less antimicrobial soap or hand sanitizers that can kill off good bacteria and disrupt the human microbiome. However, a larger issue needs to be discussed: the agricultural industry.

         Even if more regulation is put in place for stricter oversight of prescription antibiotics and people become more conscious of their daily habits, antibiotic use in the food industry is still the elephant in the room.

         According to an annual report published by the Food and Drug Administration, it was stated that the amount of antibiotics sold to farmers and ranchers for use for increasing livestock growth went up by 16% from 2009 to 2012. This number seems to be steadily increasing at high rates.

         The National Chicken Council spoke for the industry and stated that it didn’t matter that antibiotics are used in agriculture because they are not the same ones used in human medicine. However, the FDA states that this is not the case.

         Sale of cephalosporins, a class of antibiotics that are prescribed in human medicine, to farmers rose by 37% from 2009 to 2012. This contradicts industry claims. After extensive pressure from public interest groups and the Congress, the FDA introduced a federal policy in 2013 that stated that food manufacturers had to change their labels and ensure that they no longer use antibiotics to increase growth rates in animals and that they can only use antibiotics to treat a sick animal.

This policy has been criticized, however, for being weak and full of loopholes. The FDA has been accused in the past of being too lenient with factory farms because until 2013 the FDA’s policy on antibiotic use was that they would request or suggest companies to change their stance on drug use but not coerce or force. Many critics accuse the FDA of being under the influence of big industry.

Until the FDA can come up with stricter standards, overexposure to antibiotics is always going to be a risk. Modifying your diet and buying antibiotic free meat and dairy is a start but it is not a comprehensive solution because you can still risk consuming antibiotics when going out to eat at fast food chains or restaurants that don’t prescribe to the antibiotic free meat policy. The only thing to do in this case is make better food choices and make more people aware of this problem and urge the consumers to demand a better product.

References:

Blaser, M. (2014). Missing Microbes: How the Overuse of Antibiotics Is Fueling Our Modern Plagues (1st ed., Vol. 1). New York City: Henry Holt and Company.

Tavernise, S. (2014a, September 18). U.S. Aims to Curb Peril of Antibiotic Resistance. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/19/health/us-lays-out-strategy-to-combat-crisis-of-antibiotic-resistance.html

Tavernise, S. (2014b, October 2). Antibiotics in Livestock: F.D.A. Finds Use Is Rising. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/03/science/antibiotics-in-livestock-fda-finds-use-is-rising.html

http://www.fda.gov/downloads/ForIndustry/UserFees/AnimalDrugUserFeeActADUFA/UCM416983.pdf