Antimicrobial Resistance In Agriculture

Antimicrobial resistance has been increasing throughout recent years. One reason is due to a prevalent use of antibiotics as growth stimulants in livestock. The bacteria in the livestock become resistant due to constant exposure to the antibiotics. When the meat harvested from these animals is packaged and sold, the bacteria are now exposed to the human population. This bacterium can make its way into the human body and cause various illnesses. Illnesses that were once easily cured with light antibiotics now require much stronger antibiotics. Some antibiotic resistant bacteria are MRSA, Campylobacter, and Salmonella and can cause serious illnesses if not properly treated. In the early 1900s, American farmers were struggling to keep up with the meat demands. The high cost of animal based supplements and the slow growth rate forced scientists to begin exploring other options. The discovery that antibiotics improve livestock growth was in fact an accident. Scientists in the 1950s originally thought that the recently discovered B12 Vitamin was the reason for improved …show more content…
Farmers add antibiotics to livestock feed or inject the animals with antibiotics. These antibiotics work as a growth stimulant as well as protect the animal from disease. The bacteria that live in the digestive tract of the livestock become accustomed to the antibiotic presence and form a resistance. Microorganisms can continue to live within the livestock until it is slaughtered for human consumption. When killed, the bacteria are now in the workplace and are exposed to the workers who in turn can carry it to the their homes and so on and so forth. Another possibility is that the bacteria is in the meat that is being sold. Meat is distributed across the country and sold to the customers. The customers then eat the meat contaminated with the antibiotic resistant bacteria causing them to get very