Antibiotics: squandering a medical miracle
1985
Zuckerman, S.
Antibiotic feed additives first went on sale in the early 1950's. Poultry, cattle, and hog farmers began adding antibiotics to feed even when the animals were not sick. These drugs help livestock grow bigger and faster, and protect against infection, so animals can be confined tightly together without developing diseases fostered by overcrowding. Unfortunately, this practice is breeding strains of drug-resistant microorganisms that make these medications worthless in fighting human disease. Under pressure from the "animal health" industry, Congress blocked the FDA's proposal to ban antibiotic feed additives, and to date, legislative officials have not been able to modify or restrict the practice.(lsp)
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