From: Jed Fuhrman [fuhrman@usc.edu]
Sent: Tuesday, January 09, 2001 7:46 PM
To: EXECSEC
Subject: agricultural use of antibiotics

Commissioner Jane Henney, M.D. 
Food and Drug Administration

Dear Commissioner Henney,

   As a professional environmental microbiologist, I urge you to
establish a reporting system to determine the quantity of antibiotics
used in U.S. agriculture. This is essential for investigating the links
between agricultural use and the huge problem of antibiotic resistance.

  The FDA should move immediately to establish a system for collecting
basic and specific data on agricultural antibiotic use in the United
States.  The information should be collected for both human and
agricultural use and should include the class,
indication, dosage, and treatment period.

Sincerely,
Jed Fuhrman
McCulloch-Crosby Chair of Marine Biology
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA 90089-0371
http://www.usc.edu/dept/LAS/biosci/DEPARTMENT/FACULTY/fuhrman.html
VOICE (213) 740-5757 (office) or 5759 (lab)
FAX (213) 740-8123