Antibiotics in our food

We all know that antibiotics can make us feel better. However, many people are under the mistaken idea that antibiotics will cure everything. Although antibiotics are effective against bacteria, they will not have impact on viruses like the common cold or influenza (the Flu).

Many people have taken antibiotics in the past for conditions that may not have required them and as such it is believed that many antibiotics are no longer as effective as they once were. Bacteria can build up immunity to antibiotics over time. As an example; there is a strain of Staphylococcus aureus that is now immune to many types of antibiotics, it is known as MRSA (Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus) and is common in many hospitals.

There are two basic types of antibiotics, general and specific. The general ones are for general use and will have some impact on most bacteria, whereas specific antibiotics will target certain types of bacteria or areas. It is important to realize that good bacteria, like the ones that contribute to intestinal health, are also affected by antibiotics, so probiotics are strongly recommended by Doctors when a course of antibiotics is completed.

Antibiotics are an amazing tool in our defence against illnesses, but over, or incorrect, use is making these incredibly powerful weapons less and less effective.
According to figures coming from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention in the US, more than half of the antibiotics given in a year in the USA are actually not being given to humans, but to food animals. Many of these doses are apparently not to treat illness but to reduce the bacterial numbers in a herd or flock or even to increase the animal’s growth rate.

There are many studies ongoing to determine the impact this dosing of antibiotics is having on the rise of antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria like E.coli. This is a potential food safety issue as having these types of bacteria in the food may make controlling or reducing them more difficult.

As a result there is a significant amount of research underway worldwide to find alternative methods to provide effective control of bacteria in herds or flocks.