Antibiotic Resistance By Bacteria led to consumer groups filing a lawsuit

Antibiotic resistance by bacteria in animal feed has led to consumer groups filing a lawsuit, saying the FDA has not met its legal responsibility to protect public health.
The organizations say the practice of routinely adding low-dose antibiotics to animal feed has to stop, and the FDA has the authority to make it so, reports Medical News Today.

Peter Lehner is the executive director of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).

He said, “Accumulating evidence shows that antibiotics are becoming less effective, while our grocery store meat is increasingly laden with drug-resistant bacteria.”

“The FDA needs to put the American people first by ensuring that antibiotics continue to serve their primary purpose - saving human lives by combating disease,” Lehner added, Medical News Today reports.

According to the NRDC, 70% of all US antibiotic consumption is used in adding low-doses to animal feed to compensate for unsanitary living conditions and promote faster growth.

This practice has been steadily increasing over the last six decades, despite the every-growing threat to humans of superbugs.

The antibiotic doses used in feed or water for turkeys, cows, pigs and chickens are too low to treat diseases.

However, they are low enough for a significant number of bacteria to survive and build up resistance. These antibiotics, such as penicillin and tetracyclines, are used to treat humans too.

The organizations are demanding to know why the FDA came to the same conclusion regarding the antibiotic resistance threat so long ago, but neglected to act on its findings, reports Medical News Today.

The suit has been collectively filed by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), the Food Animal Concerns Trust (FACT), Public Citizen, and the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS).

The aim of the suit is to force the FDA to act on its own safety findings -- withdrawing approval for antibiotic use in animal feed for non-therapeutic uses, i.e. when they are ill.

Margaret Mellon is a senior scientist and director of the Food and Environment Program at UCS.

She said, "We hope this lawsuit will finally compel the FDA to act with an urgency commensurate with magnitude of the problem,” Medical News Today reports.
Bacteria’s resistance to the overuse of antibiotics in farms can eventually lead them to turn into superbugs.

These superbugs can move from animal-to-human via direct contact, handling meat and poultry products, and environmental exposure.
When these superbugs enter humans they can be extremely difficult to treat, resulting in longer hospital stays and higher death rates, reports Medical News Today.

Studies have suggested that antibiotic-resistant infections are costing the US healthcare system over $25 billion dollars annually.