FDA Limits Some Antibiotics for Animals

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has taken a first step to limit use of antibiotics in some animals raised for food. The FDA said it would restrict use of cephalosporin antibiotics. They are injected into some cattle, pigs and poultry just before slaughter. These antibiotics are not used as often in animals as some others. But they are frequently needed to treat serious human infections. The number of infections that “resist” one or more antibiotics has been increasing rapidly. Many experts say one reason is the routine use of antibiotics in animals raised for food. The FDA said in 2010 that this use of antibiotics was “a serious health threat.” But this week’s action is the agency’s first to address the threat. The Associated Press wrote about it January 4.