| Roman Bystrianyk 2005-07-29, 8:55 am |
| Jonathan D. Rockoff, "FDA bans antibiotic for poultry", Baltimore Sun,
July 29, 2005,
Link:
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/na...world-headlines
The Food and Drug Administration took its first step yesterday toward
stemming the increase of drug-resistant bacteria that could dangerously
infect humans by banning the use of an antibiotic given to animals. The
agency ordered off the market a drug commonly given to chickens and
turkeys with respiratory infections.
The use of the drug, Baytril, in poultry was contributing to the growth
of an antibiotic-resistant strain of bacteria that cause food-borne
illnesses in humans, the agency determined. Now, it said, one in five
human infections with Campylobacter involves the drug-resistant strain
of the bacteria.
"We hope that once this drug is not marketed and used in poultry, the
resistance in humans will go down or at least not go up," said Stephen
Sundlof, director of the Center for Veterinary Medicine at the agency.
The poultry industry said Baytril, administered in water, was used as a
drug of last resort to treat the most serious infections in chickens
and turkeys.
Doctors and public health organizations have expressed greater concern
about the widespread use of antibiotics in animal feed. A group called
Environmental Defense recently said Maryland was the country's
fourth-leading user of antibiotic animal feed. Delaware ranked first.
Many bacteria can develop a resistance to drugs after repeat exposure,
whether in humans or animals. So medical authorities have pushed for
restricting the use of antibiotics on animals in order to maintain
their effectiveness on humans. The FDA hadn't acted, however, until
Commissioner Lester Crawford ordered Baytril off the market.
"It's a good move," said Georges C. Benjamin, executive director of the
American Public Health Association. "Why put people at risk by having
organisms resistant to our frontline therapies?"
The association has urged the FDA to ban the use of other drugs given
to animals, Benjamin said. The agency is reviewing several, Sundlof
said.
Yesterday's decision is likely to affect poultry farms in Maryland,
although Perdue and some other companies had previously decided to stop
using the antibiotic. Richard Lobb, spokesman for an industry trade
group that includes many of Maryland's poultry companies, criticized
the FDA for removing an "important medication" for treating serious
respiratory illnesses in poultry.
"The alternative medications are not as effective for dealing with
these specific infections," said Lobb, of the National Chicken Council.
Maryland ranks seventh in the United States in poultry production.
Poultry is the largest component of the state's $1.5 billion farm
business. Last year, the Delmarva peninsula had 1,900 farms selling 576
million chickens.
The FDA took action after it determined the drug's use on poultry was
causing resistance to emerge in bacteria carried by chickens and
turkeys. The bacterium, known as Campylobacter, leads to food-borne
illnesses in humans. Doctors say the illnesses cause diarrhea, fever
and other symptoms similar to salmonella poisoning. But if not treated,
or not treated effectively, the infections can have more serious
consequences, such as severe arthritis and even death.
The FDA's decision does not prevent the use of Baytril on other
animals, such as cats, dogs and cattle.
In 1996, the agency first approved the drug for veterinary use. By
2000, however, it was seeking to limit its application in poultry.
Abbott Laboratories voluntarily withdrew its brand of the drug, Sundlof
said. But Bayer AG, Baytril's manufacturer, fought the FDA.
The company has 60 days to appeal the most recent decision in federal
court.
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