The news media frequently feature stories on the use of antibiotics in food animals and the possible health threats to people from antibiotic residues in food. I take antibiotics prescribed by my physician. They're the same thing, right?

Yes and no. Farmers give antibiotics to animals for some of the same reasons your doctor prescribes them for you to combat diseases caused by bacterial infections. However, since the 1950s, farmers have also used small amounts of antibiotics in animals' regular feed. Not only do the antibiotics prevent some diseases, they also cause animals to grow larger and fatter at an increased rate. Because animals can be slaughtered at a younger age and on less feed, this practice increases the savings for the livestock producer and the consumer.

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So what's the problem? Cheaper meat, healthier animals sounds good to me.

Unfortunately, there's a downside to the widespread use of antibiotics for both humans and livestock. Since penicillin, the first antibiotic, was introduced mid-century, doctors have learned that antibiotics gradually lose their effectiveness over time. Eventually, as bacteria evolve to survive their environment, antibiotics become completely ineffective. The danger lies in the fact that those bacteria not only have the capacity to reproduce, which passes the trait of resistance, but they can share parts of DNA with other bacteria by simply coming in contact with them. The speed at which bacteria proliferate, and ease at which they share DNA, can lead to the creation of entire communities of resistant pathogens at an accelerated rate. In 1999, scientists discovered that chickens had developed bacteria that were resistant to fluoroquinolones, a powerful antibiotic used in human medicine. In May of 2001, at the 101st annual meeting of the American Society for Microbiology, the FDA presented a report on the levels of antibiotic resistant bacteria in beef and poultry sold in US supermarkets. It was reported that investigators found "fairly substantial amounts of resistance to a number of drugs." They went on to urge that such use be ended or phased out based on reasonable scientific assessments. Shortly after, the American Medical Association adopted a resolution opposing the random use of antibiotics in agriculture. Due to mounting evidence on the dangers of antibiotic resistance, the US House Democrats presented to Congress a bill, entitled the "Preservation of Antibiotics for Human Treatment Act of 2002." This bill, endorsed by the American Medical Association, American Public Health Association and the American College of Preventative Medicine, calls for the phasing out of eight classes of drugs presently used to promote rapid growth in farm animals, and demands the ban of all uses of fluoroquinolones (a class of antibiotic to which Cipro belongs) in poultry.

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Is there anything I can do to prevent getting sick from resistant bacteria in food I'm eating right now?

You can take steps to prevent bacterial infection in your own home, according to the USDA. Always wash anything immediately after it has touched raw meat — never cut vegetables using an unwashed knife or cutting board that has touched raw meat. Make sure to cook meat all the way through: medium for beef, and white for chicken, fish and pork.

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So if I'm careful, I won't get sick?

Proper handling definitely decreases the chances of contracting a food-borne illness. However, accidents do happen; improperly prepared food can contaminate you either at home or when dining out. In addition, there are other ways of contracting resistant bacteria. For example, salmonella and campylobacter bacteria reside in animals' intestines and can spread through food and/or indiscriminate handwashing. But because bacteria can share genes with other bacteria, it's possible that a resistant form of salmonella could share "resistance genes" with another bacteria outside the body. This other bacteria will, in most cases, be harmless to healthy humans, but it can be dangerous to people with suppressed immune systems - such as those undergoing cancer treatment. And again, the resistance traits could spread further to harmful bacteria that frequently cause disease, making them untreatable, either in the human intestine or other environments. Some scientists believe that the antibiotic residues that remain in an animal's body persist in consumers, contributing to the overall level of anti-biotics in the human body. This would allow bacteria in a human to develop antibacterial resistance, just as it does in animals. However, the FDA has many programs to ensure that this does not occur and that only safe levels of antibiotic residue are present in commercial meat. Overall, although this may contribute to antibiotic resistance, scientists are more concerned about disease-causing bacteria that develop resistance in food animals and then infect human beings. More study is needed.

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It sounds like bacterial resistance to antibiotics is inevitable.

In some ways, it is. Any use of an antibiotic will cause bacteria to develop resistance. But overuse of certain drugs, such as those in the regular feed of animals, may make it happen faster. This is particularly important right now, because no new antibiotics will be coming to market in the near future, according to the FDA. Development of these antibiotics declined in the 1980s when it seemed that there were enough to handle all of the current diseases. Now that strains of bacteria resistant to the most recent medications are popping up, research and development is resuming, but it can take up to 10 years to get a new antibiotic approved for the market. The issue of handling antibiotic use in animals involves a shrewd scientific analysis of the costs and benefits. The FDA has announced that, though it values an affordable meat supply as well as the concerns of conventional livestock farmers, its greatest concern is for human health.

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Can I tell which meats contain antibiotics before buying them?

Currently, there is no labeling standard in the United States to alert consumers about an animal's antibiotic intake, either for growth or medicinal reasons. However, there are organic and antibiotic-free, natural meats on the market, which come from animals that have never received such medicines. The USDA has approved the use of the term "No Antibiotics Used" for the label of any meat product that is antibiotic-free.

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How does an antibiotic-free farm keep its livestock healthy?

One of the best ways to keep animals healthy is to provide a low stress environment that allows them to engage in their natural behaviors and instincts. Such an environment is vital to maintaining the health of livestock, since stress has an adverse effect on an animal’s immune system, making it more susceptible to disease. If an animal does become sick on one of our farms, it will be administered antibiotics, but its meat will not be used in our products.

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Does Applegate Farms use antibiotics in the raising of its hogs, poultry or beef?

No. At Applegate Farms we've proven for more than 10 years that raising high-quality, natural pork, turkey and chicken meat without the use of growth-promoting antibiotics at any step of production is plausible. Many in the meat and grocery industry don't believe that antibiotic-free livestock and poultry production is possible. We are proud to disprove their skepticism. Our company motto is "Believe in What You Eat!" We feel that any level of risk is unacceptable when it comes to ensuring your health or the health of your family. Removing antibiotics from livestock not only creates a healthier growing environment for the animal, but it's also a necessary step toward maintaining a safe and healthy food supply. Information for this fact sheet came from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the Center for Veterinary Medicine, the American Medical Association and the Center for Disease Control. Further research can be done at any of their Web sites under the header "Antimicrobial Resistance."

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