Antibiotics in animal feed and their long term effect on bacteria in the local ecosystem

1
Antibiotics in animal feed and their long term
effect on bacteria in the local ecosystem
Caleb Farmer, Kiki Godek, Jeff Gerdau
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Use of antibiotics on farm animals

• Pros
• Animals grow bigger and faster.
• More profitable at slaughter.
• Fewer animal fatalities (more grow up for
  slaughter).
• Compensate for the stressful and unsanitary
  conditions of modern factory farming.

Cons Over use of antibiotics can result in
bacteria gaining a resistance to those
antibiotics. The same antibiotics are used for
animals as well as humans, therefore if bacteria
grow a resistance to these antibiotics we would
also be affected.
3
Needs for antibiotics in animal feed

• Since the advent of factory farms, animal
  by-products from slaughter houses have been
  recycled into animal feed, thus reducing costs.
  However this also raises the risks of infections
  and other diseases, such as mad cow disease, this
  is why antibiotics are needed in modern factory
  farms.

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Risks of using antibiotics in animal feed
Superbug---gt

• Some bacteria, dubbed superbugs have evolved an
  immunity to antibiotics due to being constantly
  exposed to antibiotics
• Most factory farms dont use different types of
  antibiotics, they instead use the same type that
  are used by humans. superbugs are thus immune
  to antibiotics that are used in hospitals, etc.
• Another ecological effect of using antibiotics in
  animal feed is the fact that superbugs have the
  ability to out compete many regular forms of
  bacteria.

5
Companies and their stance on the use of
antibiotics in animal feed

• Many food companies, such as McDonalds, Tyson
  foods, and Foster Farms have stopped using
  antibiotics in their animal feed.

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Questions

• Why are antibiotics needed in animal feed?
• What are risks of over using antibiotics for
  agricultural purposes?
• What food companies have stopped using
  antibiotics in their animal feed?

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Citations

• Time for Agriculture to Kick the Drug
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• You Are What They Eat http//sks.sirs.com/cgi-bin
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• Drug-Free Food http//sks.sirs.com/cgi-bin/hst-art
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• DOCTORS WEIGH IN AGAINST ANTIBIOTICS IN ANIMAL
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• FDA Bans Use of Baytril in Poultry
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