John Perez
Comp 102
Professor Scott Johnson
12/12/12
Antibiotics in livestock: An Annotated Bibliography
“Antibiotics off the farm.” New York Times 16 Apr. 2012: A18(L). Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context.
Web. 3 Oct. 2012.
In this is New York Times article it talks about the new guidelines established by the FDA on the
usage of antibiotics of farm livestock to promote growth. The problem is that these drugs that
are used in these livestock are the same drugs that are used to treat humans. The continuous
usage of these drugs creates a superbug that can affect humans making them sick and at that
point due to the over exposure of these bugs to the drugs in animals means that our drugs cant
help us anymore. The times continue to say that 80% of all the drugs here in America are used in
the agricultural growth of livestock. The new laws and restrictions would limit or even totally
ban the use of drugs important to humans in the use for livestock. The drugs that would still be
able to be used would have to be overseen by a veterinarian. It goes to finish with an example
from New York where a circuit court has stopped the usage of penicillin and two forms of
tetracycline in livestock until the usage can be proved not to promote drug resistant microbes.
In the conclusion it says that if we don’t stop our practice of using these drugs we are going fall
into deep and our drugs won’t be able to cure our illnesses anymore.
The source is very reliable being as it is published in The New York times. The source is also very
relevant because it is less than a year old. I really liked this source because it explains simply
what’s going on with the use of antibiotics in our livestock and how it is harming the humans. I
also choose this piece because it has new and current legislation that is being worked on right.
Finally I found this a good source to be used because it gives us a real life example of these
antibiotics being banned in New York.
Harris, Gardiner. “New Prescription Requirement Will Cut Use of Antibiotics in Livestock, F.D.A
Says.” New York Times 12 Apr. 2012 A19(L). Gale Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web.
3 Oct. 2012.
In this second New York Times article it tells us that farmers are now required to have a
prescription from a vet to use drugs to increase the size of livestock. This is in the hopes
that we will decrease the amount of humans becoming sick due to the introduction of
superbugs in our world. The article says that nearly 2 million people a year become sick
a year due to infections and a majority of these people are treated using antibiotics. The
new laws will make the drugs that farmers use harder to come by and more expensive
to purchase when they do find them. It talks about how animals are fed 80 percent
through their food, 17 percent in their drinking water and additional 3 percent through
injection. The article finishes up saying that the Obama administration has just
announced restrictions on the drugs Cefzil and Keflex which are used to fight pneumonia
and strep throat.
I choose this source because once again it’s published in a well known magazine being
the New York Times. It has also been published in the last year and is quite relevant. I
like how this source really puts into perspective how many people a year get sick due to
things like infection. I also really liked how it explained to me how the animals are
receiving these drugs. Finally I liked a lot how they gave a current example of these
drugs being banned by the Obama administration and how it tells us what drugs and
what they are used for.
Union of Concerned Scientists. “The Use of Antibiotics in Food Animals May Be the Main Source
of Resistance in Food Borne Pathogens.” Resistant Infections. Ed. Debra A. Miller.
Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2009. Current controversies. Rpt. From “Prescription for
Trouble: Using Antibiotics to Fatten Livestock.” 2008. Gale opposing Viewpoints in
context: Web. 3 Oct. 2012.
In this source the union of concerned scientists tells about how antibiotics usage in
humans in becoming less and less effective because of how they are being used so
rigorously in livestock. They say we are now in some serious danger to lose some of our
most important antibiotics that we take ourselves. They give a relevant example of this
when they say that tuberculosis has now become resistant to most forms of
antimicrobial drugs. It goes on to explain how when we keep giving these drugs to
livestock to get bigger and then we eat these same animals when they are slaughtered
that we acquire super bugs from them and when we become sick we can’t use those
antibiotics to kill the bugs.
This is a great source because it is written by the group of scientists who work for a
nonprofit organization concerned with the well being of the American people. I like how
they give us the breakdown of exactly why these drugs aren’t working anymore for us.
They give us some great examples that really show how present this issue really is. They
finish by telling us exactly how we come into contact with these pathogens and I really
found that part helpful.