Food Safety Magazine, February/March 2012

By Susan Vaughn Grooters, M.P.H.Antibiotics 1 are drugs capable of killing bacteriaor disrupting their reproduction without harmingtheir host, and have been used for morethan 70 years to treat people with infections and formore than 50 years in veterinary medicine. They haveundoubtedly saved millions of lives, but the establishmentof antibiotic-resistant bacteria is jeopardizingtheir effectiveness. Misuse, overuse and injudicioususe of this important class of drugs are being debatedby academics, veterinarians, regulators and consumersalike. What all parties can agree upon is thatantibiotic resistance is a complicated issue that needsurgent attention and continuing dialogue, as the policiesof food production begin to shift to protect theseessential drugs from losing their effectiveness.The need to promote the judicious use of antibioticsin human medicine has long been underway.Many patients are now aware or are being advised bytheir physicians that antibiotics will not treat viruses,and much public information 2 has been made readilyavailable to thwart the overprescribing of antibiotics.Similar discussions are happening in the veterinary36 F O O D S A F E T Y M A G A Z I N E