Study Finds Antibiotic Use on Farms Breeds Super-Bacteria
GLOBAL - Human exposure to antibiotic-resistant bacteria is growing because of the use of antibiotics in agriculture operations, according to a research team from the Fogarty International Center and the University of Maryland.Antibiotics are used by many agricultural operations to promote growth and prevent disease in livestock. Their use has bred forms of bacteria now resistant to the drugs, and these super-bugs can be found on farms, in water and on meat and poultry sold in the markets, according to the article the researchers are publishing in the international medical journal "PLoS Medicine."
The authors suggest that "transmission from agriculture can have a greater impact on human populations than hospital transmission," according to a PLoS news release. The high level of antibiotic use in hospitals has been previously recognized as a factor in the emergence of drug-resistant bacteria.
Source: HighPlainsJournal
8 July 2005
1 minute read
