The use of drugs in food animal production has resulted in benefits throughout the food industry; however, their use has also raised public health safety concerns.

The Use of Drugs in Food Animals provides an overview of why and how drugs are used in the major food-producing animal industries--poultry, dairy, beef, swine, and aquaculture. The volume discusses the prevalence of human pathogens in foods of animal origin. It also addresses the transfer of resistance in animal microbes to human pathogens and the resulting risk of human disease.

The committee offers analysis and insight into these areas

• Monitoring of drug residues. The book provides a brief overview of how the FDA and USDA monitor drug residues in foods of animal origin and describes quality assurance programs initiated by the poultry, dairy, beef, and swine industries.
• Antibiotic resistance. The committee reports what is known about this controversial problem and its potential effect on human health.

Contents

• Committee on Drug Use in Food Animals
• Panel on Animal Health, Food Safety, and Public Health
• BOARD ON AGRICULTURE
• FOOD AND NUTRITION BOARD
• [The National Academies]
• Preface
• Acknowledgments
• Executive Summary
• 1. Drugs Used in Food Animals: Background and Perspectives
  • THE ROLE OF THIS REPORT
  • REVIEW OF PREVIOUS REPORTS
  • THE ANTIBIOTIC ISSUE
• 2. Food-Animal Production Practices and Drug Use
  • OVERVIEW
  • THE POULTRY INDUSTRY
  • THE SWINE INDUSTRY
  • THE DAIRY INDUSTRY
  • THE BEEF INDUSTRY
  • THE VEAL INDUSTRY
  • THE SHEEP INDUSTRY
  • MINOR SPECIES
  • THE AQUACULTURE INDUSTRY
  • QUALITY-ASSURANCE PROGRAMS AND ANIMAL HEALTH MAINTENANCE
  • SUMMARY OF FINDINGS
• 3. Benefits and Risks to Human Health
  • OVERVIEW
  • PREVENTION
  • TREATMENT
  • BENEFITS OF ANTIBIOTIC USE
  • POSSIBLE HAZARDS OF ANTIBIOTIC USE
  • HUMAN HEALTH RISKS FROM DRUG RESIDUES IN FOODS
  • SUMMARY OF FINDINGS
• 4. Drug Development, Government Approval, and the Regulatory Process
  • OVERVIEW
  • RESTRUCTURING THE REGULATORY AND APPROVAL PROCESS
  • HUMAN HEALTH RISK, RESIDUES, AND APPROVAL
  • WORLDWIDE HARMONIZATION OF THE ANIMAL DRUG APPROVAL PROCESS
  • SUMMARY OF FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
• 5. Drug Residues and Microbial Contamination in Food: Monitoring and Enforcement
  • DRUG RESIDUE STANDARDS AND SCREENING
  • TRACKING DRUG RESIDUES IN FOOD
  • DRUG RESIDUES IN MEAT AND POULTRY
  • DRUG RESIDUES IN FISH AND SEAFOOD
  • DRUG RESIDUES IN MILK
  • FOOD-BORNE PATHOGENS AND CONTAMINATION OF FOOD
  • INTEGRATING ISSUES OF RESIDUES AND MICROBIAL CONTAMINATION
  • SUMMARY OF FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
• 6. Issues Specific to Antibiotics
  • DEVELOPMENT AND FUNCTIONALITY OF ANTIBIOTIC DRUGS
  • IDENTIFYING AND SCREENING ANTIBIOTICS
  • BACTERIAL RESISTANCE
  • ANTIBIOTIC-RESISTANT BACTERIA AND ANIMAL MANAGEMENT
  • SUBTHERAPEUTIC VERSUS THERAPEUTIC USE OF DRUGS
  • HUMAN AND VETERINARY CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS OF ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE
  • CASES TO TEST THE SYSTEM
  • SUMMARY OF FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
• 7. Costs of Eliminating Subtherapeutic Use of Antibiotics
  • CONSIDERATIONS IN DETERMINING THE EFFECT OF A BAN
  • RESULTS OF ECONOMIC ANALYSIS AND CONCLUSIONS
  • APPENDIX
• 8. Approaches to Minimizing Antibiotic Use in Food-Animal Production
  • ANIMAL MANAGEMENT
  • NUTRITION
  • DISEASE ERADICATION
  • GENETICS
  • RECOMMENDATIONS
• References
• About the Authors

This material is based upon work supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, under Agreement No. 59-0700-1-141, the Department of Health and Human Services, Food and Drug Administration under Agreement No. 1-R13-FDO1495-01, and the Pew Charitable Trusts under Agreement No. 90-02372-000. Partial support was provided by the American Veterinary Medical Association and the American Feed Industry Association. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the organizations or agencies that provided support for this project.

NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance.

This report has been reviewed by a group other than the authors according to procedures approved by a Report Review Committee consisting of members of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine.