Antibiotic Resistance 101: How Antibiotic Misuse on Factory Farms Can Make You Sick | Food & Water Watch
Victory! Cleveland passes resolution against antibiotic misuse on factory farms. more wins »
X

Stay Informed

Sign up for email to learn how you can protect food and water in your community.

   Please leave this field empty

Connect with us

Twitter Facebook RSS Instagram YouTube

Food & Water Watch provided skilled activists to help us organize and amplify our voices against fracking in Monterey County, California. Their presence brought added credibility and effectiveness in educating and activating local residents to preserve our precious agriculture and water resources. Food & Water Watch understands that on-the-ground grassroots organizing is essential to success.


Luana Conley
Food & Water Watch > Reports > food > Antibiotic Resistance 101: How Antibiotic Misuse on Factory Farms Can Make You Sick
January 29th, 2014

Antibiotic Resistance 101: How Antibiotic Misuse on Factory Farms Can Make You Sick

DOWNLOAD PDF VIEW ON SCRIBD

Antibiotics are critical tools in human medicine. Medical authorities are warning that these life-saving drugs are losing their effectiveness, and there are few replacement drugs in the pipeline. Bacteria evolve in response to the use of antibiotics both in humans and in animals. Those bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics prosper as antibiotics kill the non-resistant bacteria. Once they emerge, antibiotic-resistant (AR) bacteria can transfer AR traits to other bacteria in animals and the environment. The development of antibiotic resistance is hastened by the use of low doses of antibiotics at industrial farms. The drugs are used routinely not to treat sick animals, but for growth promotion and disease prevention, a practice known as non-therapeutic use.