Why Are So Many People Resistant To Antibiotics?

THE UNPRECEDENTED RISE IN ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE

To help animals achieve a desirable weight before being sent to the slaughterhouse, farmers will often give animals antibiotics and hormonal therapy (34) This has led to “world-changing risk to public health” on our hands due to excess use of antibiotics, hormones, and other synthetic pharmaceuticals to animals (35). At present, 81% of all antibiotics in the U.S. are given to livestock for non-therapeutic purposes (36), while 10% are for therapeutic human purposes, and 9% are for pets. There are serious long-term consequences from flippant, round-the-clock antibiotic administration practices since antibiotic-resistance pathogens develop within two to three years of introducing a new antibiotic to the marketplace (37). 

Note that two processes are occurring simultaneously: drug-resistant bacteria surviving in livestock and drug-resistant bacteria surviving in humans who eat said livestock products that contain leftover antibiotic resides (38-44). Drug-resistant bacteria and their conquered antibiotic residues enter the food supply together. Both are exposures that put people at risk for developing illnesses caused by drug resistant strains of bacteria and viruses such as Coronavirus COVID-19. Such infections can potentially be fatal when conventional treatment protocol are now often rendered less effective (37). 

The unprecedented rise in life-threatening infections, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, is due to the fact that we are addicted to excess animal protein consumption and are running out of reliable and effective antibiotics to treat these infections (45,46). As a result, various bacterial and viral infections are becoming nearly untreatable in humans (47). Nevertheless, CAFOs’ antibiotic procedures continue business as usual.

This phenomenon is well supported in the scientific literature. 

The two most common gram-negative bacterial species studied, Campylobacter and Salmonella are naturally found in soil but not conductive to animal and human health.  They are now easily infecting animals, and being passed from animals to humans predominantly in animal protein consumption. Antimicrobial resistance against multiple antibiotics in swine, cattle, and other animals has been highly correlated with resistance in humans (49). 

Moreover, one doesn’t even have to eat these food products to be negatively impacted, per se. Living near high-density pig operations is associated with methicillin-resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus (i.e. MRSA) (50). If it’s in the air, it’s eventually inhaled into your body.

It’s likely we don’t know the full scope CAFOs have on the emergence of drug resistance, especially when you consider groundwater infiltration, cross-contamination, and packaging contamination. The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) conservatively estimates that 23,000 United States citizens die annually from antibiotic-resistant infections (46), but actual deaths may be four times higher (51,52). 

Of the two million Americans who develop antibiotic-resistant infections annually, prolonged illness is common, and patients may suffer lifelong repercussions after the onset of the illness (i.e. disfigurement, chronic pain, and disablement). Beyond the individual impact, antibiotic resistance is unique in that is poses a threat to national and economic security (53). 

Be smarter. Vote with your dollar and do not support CAFOs for you and your family’s sake. The decisions we make today will impact every generation to come.

 Dr. Bhandari Is Here to Support Your Health.

As one of nation’s top integrative functional medicine physicians, Dr. Bhandari work with patients suffering from chronic health concerns which modern medicine can only provide side effect-ridden solutions without a cure. By taking the best in Eastern and Western Medicine, Dr. Bhandari understands the root cause of diseases on a cellular level and designs personalized treatment plans which drive positive results. Reach out to SF Advanced Health or call 1-415-506-9393 to learn more.

References

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  2. Elizabeth Grossman, Absent Federal Policy, States Take Lead on Animal Welfare. Civil Eats. (Feb. 15, 2017). Retrieved from: https://civileats.com/2017/02/15/absent-federal-policy-states-take-lead-on-animal-welfare/ on Nov. 21, 2019.

  3. Factory Farming and Human Health. Farm Sanctuary. Retrieved from https://www.farmsanctuary.org/learn/factory-farming/factory-farming-and-human-health/ on Nov. 21, 2019.

  4. Phasing Out Certain Antibiotic Use in Farm Animals, U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA). Retrieved from: https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/phasing-out-certain-antibiotic-use-farm-animals on Nov. 21, 2019.

  5. Oliver, S. P., Maki, J. L., & Dowlen, H. H. (1990). Antibiotic residues in milk following antimicrobial therapy during lactation. Journal of food protection, 53(8), 693-696.

  6. Van Poucke, L. S. G., Depourcq, G. C. I., & Van Peteghem, C. H. (1991). A quantitative method for the detection of sulfonamide residues in meat and milk samples with a high-performance thin-layer chromatographic method. Journal of chromatographic science, 29(10), 423-427.

  7. Mitchell, J. M., Griffiths, M. W., McEwen, S. A., McNab, W. B., & Yee, A. J. (1998). Antimicrobial drug residues in milk and meat: causes, concerns, prevalence, regulations, tests, and test performance. Journal of food protection, 61(6), 742-756.

  8. Tajick, M. A., & Shohreh, B. (2006). Detection of antibiotics residue in chicken meat using TLC. International journal of poultry science, 5(7), 611-612.

  9. Reig, M., & Toldrá, F. (2008). Veterinary drug residues in meat: Concerns and rapid methods for detection. Meat science, 78(1-2), 60-67.

  10. Darwish, W. S., Eldaly, E. A., El-Abbasy, M. T., Ikenaka, Y., Nakayama, S., & Ishizuka, M. (2013). Antibiotic residues in food: the African scenario. Japanese Journal of Veterinary Research, 61(Supplement), S13-S22.

  11. Er, B., Onurdağ, F. K., Demirhan, B., Özgacar, S. Ö., Öktem, A. B., & Abbasoğlu, U. (2013). Screening of quinolone antibiotic residues in chicken meat and beef sold in the markets of Ankara, Turkey. Poultry science, 92(8), 2212-2215.

  12. Chen, L., Todd, R., Kiehlbauch, J., Walters, M., & Kallen, A. (2017). Notes from the Field: Pan-Resistant New Delhi Metallo-Beta-Lactamase-Producing Klebsiella pneumoniae-Washoe County, Nevada, 2016. MMWR. Morbidity and mortality weekly report, 66(1), 33-33.

  13. Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Antibiotic Resistance Threats in the United States, 2013. Retrieved from: http://www.cdc.gov/drugresistance/threatreport-2013/pdf/ar-threats-2013-508.pdf on Nov. 21, 2019.

  14. Factory Farming and Human Health. Farm Sanctuary. Retrieved from:  https://www.farmsanctuary.org/learn/factory- farming/factory-farming-and-human-health/ on Nov. 21, 2019.

  15. McDermott, P. F., Bodeis, S. M., English, L. L., White, D. G., Walker, R. D., Zhao, S., ... & Wagner, D. D. (2002). Ciprofloxacin resistance in Campylobacter jejuni evolves rapidly in chickens treated with fluoroquinolones. The Journal of infectious diseases, 185(6), 837-840.

  16. U.S. Food & Drug Administration. (2012). Guidance for Industry #209: THE JUDICIOUS USE OF MEDICALLY IMPORTANT ANTIMICROBIAL DRUGS IN FOOD-PRODUCING ANIMALS 17. Retrieved from: https://www.fda.gov/media/79140/ download on Nov. 21, 2019.

  17. Klein, E., Smith, D. L., & Laxminarayan, R. (2007). Hospitalizations and deaths caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, United States, 1999–2005. Emerging infectious diseases, 13(12), 1840.

  18. Spellberg, B., Hansen, G. R., Kar, A., Cordova, C. D., Price, L. B., & Johnson, J. R. (2016). Antibiotic resistance in humans and animals. NAM Perspectives.

  19. O’neill, J. I. M. (2014). Antimicrobial resistance: tackling a crisis for the health and wealth of nations. Rev. Antimicrob. Resist, 20, 1-16.

  20. Builder, M. (2014). Antimicrobial Resistance as an Emerging Threat to National Security. Atlantic Council. Retrieved from: https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/in-depth-research-reports/report/antimicrobial-resistance-as-an-emerging-threat-to-national-security/ on Nov. 21, 2019.

AUTHOR

Dr. Payal Bhandari M.D. is one of U.S.'s top leading integrative functional medical physicians and the founder of SF Advanced Health. She combines the best in Eastern and Western Medicine to understand the root causes of diseases and provide patients with personalized treatment plans that quickly deliver effective results. Dr. Bhandari specializes in cell function to understand how the whole body works. Dr. Bhandari received her Bachelor of Arts degree in biology in 1997 and Doctor of Medicine degree in 2001 from West Virginia University. She the completed her Family Medicine residency in 2004 from the University of Massachusetts and joined a family medicine practice in 2005 which was eventually nationally recognized as San Francisco’s 1st patient-centered medical home. To learn more, go to www.sfadvancedhealth.com.

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