Antimicrobial Use in Animal Feed — Time to Stop

Abstract

Antimicrobials have been used in food animals in North America and Europe for nearly half a century. Among the most common are drugs that are either identical to or related to those administered to humans, including penicillins, tetracyclines, cephalosporins (including ceftiofur, a third-generation cephalosporin), fluoroquinolones, avoparcin (a glycopeptide that is related to vancomycin), and virginiamycin (a streptogramin that is related to quinupristin-dalfopristin). These antimicrobial agents are given to food animals as therapy for an infection or, in the absence of disease, for subtherapeutic purposes with the goals of growth promotion and enhanced feed efficiency (improved nutritional benefits of the animal . . .