Future of Antibiotics

Future of Antibiotics

David Sparks Ph.D.
David Sparks Ph.D.
National Institute for Animal Agriculture and Merck Animal Health, Veterinarian Bob Smith is taking a very cautious and conservative approach to the flagrant abuse of antibiotic use in both humans and animals. In the future, Smith sees feedyards demanding more preconditioned calves that are less likely to become sick. And, with imminent pressures from consumers and national beef chains, he suggests producers may see more change in how they're able to administer antibiotics. "I would not be surprised to see regulations in the future where, if you want to go down and buy a bottle of penicillin or tetracycline, that will be a prescription product rather than over-the-counter. We have the responsibility of judicious antibiotic usage but we also have a responsibility to treat animals when they are sick, just as physicians have a responsibility to treat children and adults when they become sick with bacterial infection.
Previous ReportIPA
Next ReportDMC