Thought this might interest some of you.
I've never gotten around to mentioning here on SANET my interest in
epidemiology (which is very much related to what we do in
sustag--looking at the life/death balance from a large-systems
perspective). Got this from the ProMED list.
If anyone's interested in leads on disease outbreaks, epidemiology,
etc., dink me. From my perspective it's related to sustag...but then
from my perspective everything is. :^)
peace
misha
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>From: ProMED-mail <promed@usa.healthnet.org>
>Date: Tue, 24 Mar 1998 21:24:59 -0500 (EST)
>Subject: PRO/AH> Antibiotics, agricultural use, CDC position - USA
>
>ANTIBIOTICS, AGRICULTURAL USE, CDC POSITION - USA
>*************************************************
>A ProMED-mail post
>
>Date: Thu, 19 Mar 1998 23:30:39 -0500
>From: Robert A. LaBudde <ral@lcfltd.com>
>
>
>[The following post was received on the FOODSAFE list following a
>discussion of the impact of animal antibiotics on
>antibiotic-resistant foodborne pathogens. Several comments had
>suggested that antibiotic use in animals in the US was minimal and
>tightly controlled by veterinary rules. This discussion prompted the
>following response. -- RAL]
>
>I have read with interest the recent comments on "Foodsafe"
>pertaining to the human health consequences of antimicrobial agents
>used in food animals....I feel compelled to clarify several items.
>
>CDC and other public health officials acknowledge the need for
>antimicrobial agents for TREATMENT of infections in food animals. We
>further believe that food animal veterinarians should be allowed use
>of all classes of antimicrobial agents, even those classes of agents
>which are very precious in human medicine (such as fluoroquinolones)
>provided adequate public health safeguards are present to prevent the
>emergence and transfer of antimicrobial-resistant pathogens
>(particularly Salmonella) to humans through the food supply.
>Unfortunately, although adequate public health safeguards are in
>place to prevent the presence of antimicrobial residues in foods, the
>current drug approval process does not have adequate safeguards to
>prevent the emergence antimicrobial resistance and dissemination of
>antimicrobial resistance to humans.
>
>CDC and other health officials also acknowledge that most human
>_Salmonella_ and _Campylobacter_ infections in the United States,
>including antimicrobial-resistant infections caused by these
>pathogens, come from ingestion of food, often foods of animal origin,
>contaminated with these pathogens. Further, there is clear evidence
>that use of antimicrobial agents in humans has very little, if any,
>influence on the emergence of antimicrobial resistance among THESE
>pathogens (as an aside, human use of antimicrobials for other
>infections, such as ear infections in children, has everything to do
>with the emergence of antimicrobial resistance among those
>pathogens). Since emergence of antimicrobial resistance occurs only
>following antimicrobial use, we (and many others) are left with the
>conclusion that antimicrobial resistant among these foodborne
>pathogens is the direct result of antimicrobial use, both therapeutic
>and sub therapuetic, in food producing animals........we know of no
>other explanation (except for some effect contributed by the use of
>antimicrobial use in orchards).
>
>These conclusions where reached at a recent WHO meeting in Berlin,
>the report of which may be obtained at
><http://www.who.ch/programmes/emc/vph.htm>. We would be happy to send
>you more information on these issues if you would send us (e-mail
>address <fja0@cdc.gov>) your address.
>
>As for the erroneous statements made previously [on FOODSAFE] .... we
>are not aware of any "cancelled" uses of growth promoter agents.
>Tetracycline and penicillin are still widely used sub therapeutically
>in the US and Canada (although this use was prohibited decades ago in
>Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and Europe). It is not true that
>growth promoter uses of these agents are expensive ... they are
>extremely inexpensive. It is not true that most antimicrobial agents
>used in food animals are for therapeutic uses; the sub therapeutic
>uses greatly outweigh the therapeutic uses. It is not true that the
>NCBA has a moratorium on growth promotion uses.....in fact many (if
>not most) dairy calves in the US are feed medicated milk replacer (it
>is true that penicillin has never been used in cattle as growth
>promoters and that the CBA as suggested that cattle not be given
>growth promoter -- or some such language). It is not true that sub
>therapeutic use of antimicrobials is highly regulated (or more
>regulated than in human medicine) ... for example, although no
>antimicrobial agents are allowed to sold over-the-counter for human
>use in the US, many agents are sold over-the-counter for food animal
>use.
>
>Finally, the suggestion [also on FOODAFE] that CDC somehow
>"tampered" with the data which was presented in the NEJM [New
>England Journal of Medicine] article is without merit and only
>serves to be inflame the discussion. CDC is a science-based
>organization with no vested interests other than the public's
>health --- the NEJM article was fully "cleared", and endorsed at the
>highest levels, by CDC. Even if the NEJM is discounted (which I don't
>think it should), there remains irrefutable evidence that
>antimicrobial use, sub therapeutic and therapeutic, in food animals
>leads to the emergence of antimicrobial resistant Salmonella and
>Campylobacter, which are transmitted to human via the food supply,
>resulting in adverse human health consequences.
>
>Fred Angulo, DVM PhD
>Foodborne and Diarrheal Diseases Branch
>National Center for Infectious Diseases, CDC
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Michele Gale-Sinex, communications manager
Center for Integrated Ag Systems
UW-Madison College of Ag and Life Sciences
Voice: (608) 262-8018 FAX: (608) 265-3020
http://www.wisc.edu/cias/
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
In the end, they will lay their freedom at our feet
and say to us, 'Make us your slaves, but feed us.'
--the Grand Inquisitor, Dostoevsky
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