According to a new Consumer Reports study that analyzed ground turkey purchased at retail store nationwide, more than one-half of the 257 samples tested were contaminated with fecal bacteria and “almost all” of the diseasecausing organisms “proved resistant to one or more of the antibiotics commonly used to fight them.” The magazine tested both conventional meat and meat from birds that were not fed antibiotics, and, although all were reportedly found to be equally likely to contain the bacteria the magazine considered in its study, bacteria on the antibiotic-free ground turkey “were much less likely to be antibiotic-resistant.” “Turkeys are given antibiotics to treat acute illness,” the report stated, “but healthy animals may also get drugs daily in their food and water to boost their rate of weight gain and to prevent disease.” This practice “is speeding the growth of drug-resistant superbugs, a serious health concern. People sickened by those…
Tag Archives animal/pet meds
A recent study has reportedly used whole genome sequencing (WGS) to retrospectively trace the transmission of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) from animal to human for the first time. Ewan Harrison, et al., “Whole genome sequencing identifies zoonotic transmission of MRSA isolates with the novel mecA homologue mecC,” EMBO Molecular Medicine, April 2013. According to a March 25, 2013, University of Cambridge press release, U.K. and Danish researchers used WGS to examine two separate cases of MRSA infection in Danish farmers and their animals. The results evidently showed that the MRSA strains under investigation carried the novel mecC gene, which allowed researchers to compare the human infections with those found in the livestock and determine that animals were most likely the source of the new strains. “Having found this new MRSA in both people and animals on the same farm it was likely that it is being transmitted between animals and people. By looking…
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and European Medicines Agency (EMA) have agreed to conduct a health risk assessment of phenylbutazone after officials reportedly discovered the anti-inflammatory drug “in a small number of horse carcasses intended for the food chain.” According to a March 7, 2013, news release, the European Commission requested the assessment as part of an EU-wide investigation into beef contaminated with horsemeat. “[U]sed sparingly in human medicine for the treatment of severe inflammatory conditions where no other treatment is considered suitable,” phenylbutazone is also approved for veterinary use but only in non-food producing animals such as dogs and sport horses. EFSA thus considers the drug a contaminant in food and will work with EMA to determine whether residues found in horsemeat pose any health risks to consumers. To this end, the agencies will consider “both the risk posed from consumption of the horsemeat itself as well as…
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced the availability of revised draft guidance related to the evaluation and safety of veterinary drug residues in human food. Both sets of guidance are part of the agency’s efforts under the Registration of Veterinary Medicinal Products to harmonize technical requirements for the approval of veterinary medical products in the European Union, Japan and the United States. The guidance titled “Studies to Evaluate the Safety of Residues of Veterinary Drugs in Human Food: General Approach to Establish a Microbiological Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI)” offers a plan for assessing “the human food safety of residues from veterinary antimicrobial drugs with regard to effects on the human intestinal flora.” To this end, the guidance (i) “outline[s] the steps in determining the need for establishing a microbiological [ADI]”; (ii) “recommend[s] test systems and methods for determining no-observable adverse effect concentrations (NOAECS) and no-observable effect concentrations (NOAELs) for the…
U.S. Reps. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) and Louise Slaughter (D-N.Y.) recently introduced legislation (H.R. 820) that would require drug manufacturers “to provide better information on the amount and use of antibiotics and other antimicrobials given to animals raised for human consumption,” according to a February 26, 2013, press release. The Delivering Antimicrobial Transparency in Animals (DATA) Act would also compel, “for the first time, large-scale producers of poultry, swine, and livestock to report data on the medicated feeds provided to their animals.” Under the DATA Act, drug manufacturers would report to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on how their products are used “by determining (or estimating) the amounts of their drugs used in each food-producing animal for which they are approved.” In addition to general data about their antibiotic use, livestock producers administering medicated feed under a Veterinary Feed Directive would submit “detailed information” about “the quantities, dosages and duration…
A new study has reportedly confirmed the presence of antibiotic-resistant genes (ARGs) in manure samples harvested from swine farms in China, raising concerns about the widespread use of therapeutic antimicrobials in livestock and livestock feed. Yong-Guan Zhu, et al., “Diverse and abundant antibiotic resistant genes in Chinese swine farms,” PNAS, February 2013. Researchers apparently used high-capacity quantitative PCR arrays to assess “the type and concentrations of ARGs at three stages of manure processing to land disposal at three large-scale (10,000 animals per year) commercial swine farms.” The results from all the manure samples evidently revealed 149 unique ARGs, with “the top 63 ARGs being enriched 192-fold (median) up to 28,000-fold (maximum) compared with their respective antibiotic-free manure or soil controls.” In particular, the findings suggested that antibiotics and heavy metals found in the manures had the potential to co-select for resistance traits and further exacerbate “the risks of transfer of ARGs…
During oral argument before a Second Circuit Court of Appeals panel, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reportedly argued that it had “no obligation” to complete proceedings that the agency initiated to withdraw approval from certain uses of antibiotic drugs in livestock. Natural Res. Def. Council v. FDA, No. 12-2106 (2d Cir., argued February 8, 2013). Assistant U.S. Attorney Ellen London said, “It’s completely discretionary as to when to enforce the law as to certain drugs,” in urging the court to reverse a district court order requiring it to hold the withdrawal proceedings announced in 1977 notices. According to a news source, one of the panel judges appeared to agree with FDA’s position, suggesting that it could, in theory, be forced to divert resources from high priorities on the basis of lawsuits filed against it. More information about lower court rulings in the case appear in Issues 432 and 442 of this…
The Government Accountability Project (GAP) has filed a lawsuit under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) against the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), alleging that the agency has wrongfully withheld information requested about the use of anti-microbial drugs in food-producing animals. GAP v. FDA, No. 12-1954 (D.D.C., filed December 5, 2012). GAP requests an order requiring FDA to make the requested information available within 10 working days and further seeks costs and attorney’s fees. According to the complaint, GAP sought information in February 2011 about anti-microbial drugs collected from animal-drug sponsors under 21 U.S.C. § 360b. While FDA produced, as requested, educational and outreach materials that assist drug sponsors in fulfilling their reported duties, it withheld (i) “FDA’s data for use of anti-microbial drugs in food-producing animals in 2009 as broken down by container size, strength, and dosage form”; and (ii) “FDA’s data for use of anti-microbial drugs in food-producing…
Consumer Reports magazine has allegedly identified bacterial contamination as well as antibiotic-resistant bacteria and veterinary drug residues in pork chop and ground-pork samples purchased from U.S. grocery stores. According to an analysis in the January 2013 edition of the magazine, 69 percent of the 198 pork samples in question purportedly contained Yersinia enterocolitica; 11 percent contained Enterococcus; and 3 to 7 percent contained Salmonella, Staphylococcus aureus, or Listeria monocytogenes. In addition, the magazine reported that 13 of 14 Staphylococcus samples isolated from pork were resistant to antimicrobials, as were six of eight Salmonella samples, 12 of 19 Enterococcus samples, and 121 of 132 Yersinia samples. Consumer Reports has also claimed that approximately one-fifth of 240 pork products analyzed in a separate test “harbored low levels of the drug ractopamine,” a growth promoter used in U.S. pork production but banned in the European Union, China and Taiwan. Consumers Union, the policy…
The Statens Serum Institut and National Food Institute at the Technical University of Denmark recently released a report charting a decline in overall antibiotic use in the country’s food animals. Funded by the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Higher Education, the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries, and the Ministry of the Health, the Danish Integrated Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring and Research Program (DANMAP) monitors “the consumption of antimicrobial agents for food animals and humans” and “the occurrence of antimicrobial resistance in bacteria isolated from food animals, food of animal origin and humans.” It also studies the association between antimicrobial consumption and antimicrobial resistance, seeking to identify “routes of transmission and areas for further research studies.” Data from DANMAP 2011 apparently showed a 15 percent decrease in total veterinary consumption of antimicrobial agents since 2010, “mainly attributed to a decreased consumption in pigs.” In particular, DANMAP 2011 reported a 30 percent…
