Antibiotics in Meat

2002-03-01

Penicillin was the first antibiotic. It was discovered in 1929, but it was not until the 1940s that it was produced on a large scale to cure diseases. Ever since then, antibiotics have been the main treatment for bacterial infections. These include serious diseases such as tuberculosis and anthrax.

Antibiotics are also used in livestock raising. For fifty years, they have been added to the feed rations of intensively raised animals. Anti-biotics help to keep them healthy, and free of the infectious diseases that would otherwise decimate herds. An extra benefit is that a small dose of antibiotics in the feed helps the animals to grow faster. Because they do not have to use energy to fight off infection, they can gain weight more quickly.

The Problem of Resistance

In the early years, antibiotics were very effective. They were "wonder drugs", which could cure diseases that had often been fatal in the past. However, there is now a worldwide problem of resistance. Many strains of diseases no longer respond to antibiotics.

This is partly caused by the excessive (and sometimes unnecessary) intake of antibiotics. Some doctors are prescribing them for minor infections, or even for virus diseases such as colds. Antibiotics have no effect on viruses.?

Another cause of resistance is patients who do not finish their full course of treatment. A third cause of resistance is the practice of feeding antibiotics to animals.

Several organizations, including the World Health Organization, want the use of antibiotics as a feed additive to be discontinued. They feel that antibiotics should only be used occasionally on animals, for the treatment of sick individuals.

The great fear is that overuse of antibiotics may lead to the development of drug-resistant pathogens which may get into our food. There is also the risk of residual antibiotics in food products. Another danger is that animal microbes might transfer their drug-resistant genes to human bacterial strains.

The small-scale livestock raising typical of Asian farms automatically limits the impact of infectious diseases, because herds are so small. (Thus, with proper management, there is no need for a steady diet of low-dose antibiotics in feed).

It is possible that in this respect, as in others, it is "traditional' farming which is more in keeping with scientific realities and consumer concerns than the so-called "modern" agriculture based on large-scale intensive raising.

Index of Images

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  Figure 1 Antibiotics Are Used in the Feed of Intensively Raised Livestock to Keep Them Healthy and Promote Growth.