Growth of Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria Increasing, Action Needed

Contact: Becky Goldburg 212 505-2100

Jessica Mendelowitz 212 505-2100

A study published in today’s New England Journal of Medicine underscores the need to reduce the extensive use of antibiotics in farm animals, according to Environmental Defense.

The study, which was done at two Chinese hospitals, found that a strain of Salmonella became resistant to the antibiotic Cipro in less then two years. None of the samples were resistant to Cipro in 2000 but 60% were resistant by the third quarter of 2001. Samples were collected from patients who had contracted the germs from eating infected pork.

“Antibiotics are life saving miracle drugs, ranging from old familiars like penicillin to newer drugs like Cipro,” said Environmental Defense senior scientist Becky Goldburg. “But overuse of these drugs in agriculture threatens their effectiveness. By some estimates, more than 70% of all antibiotics used in the U.S. are fed to farm animals. This study reinforces the link between the use of antibiotics in farm animals and the loss of effective antibiotics to treat disease in humans.”

Swine in the U.S. are not fed Cipro or other fluoroquinolones, the class of antibiotics Cipro belongs to. However, poultry in the U.S. are given Baytril, a variant of Cipro, in their drinking water to treat certain ailments.

Concerns about growing antibiotic resistance to Cipro and related antibiotics in food-borne bacteria prompted the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to propose banning the sale of Baytril for poultry. Bayer is contesting the proposed ban and continues to sell Baytril for use in poultry, increasing the likelihood that disease-causing bacteria will develop resistance to this important class of drugs.

“The American Medical Association, American Public Health Association and more than 150 other health organizations and individual health professionals have urged Bayer to comply voluntarily with the FDA’s proposed ban,” said Goldburg. “Bayer needs to take quick action and comply with the FDA ban.”