Infectious Diseases A-Z: Antibiotics in animals

The World Health Organization is urging countries to restrict the use of antibiotics in food animal production. Food producers in many countries, including the U.S. feed low-dose antibiotics to farm animals to encourage the animals to grow bigger and faster, which in return contributes to the antibiotic resistance in bacteria.

Dr. Nipunie Rajapakse, a Mayo Clinic pediatric infectious diseases specialist says, "When you look at the amount of antibiotics used in the United States, about 75 percent is actually used in animals and not humans. We know that the overuse of antibiotics is the single biggest driver of antibiotic resistance, and that’s why the use of antibiotics in our food supply is one of our biggest concerns."

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