Assessing Risks to Human Health from Antibiotic Use in Food Animals

Abstract

For many years, various experts and organizations have said that using antibiotics to raise food animals poses a significant public health risk. The hypothesized threat is the potential development of antibiotic resistance in foodborne bacteria, including pathogens that could infect humans, which could lead to averse effects if these ill people are treated with the same class of antibiotic. However, other experts and groups contend that the public health risks are negligible.