The benefits of antibiotic use in chicken production outweigh the potential risks to humans, say researchers at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine.
They developed a mathematical model to compare risks associated with increased levels of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in meat with the potential benefits from a reduced level of food-borne illness in humans.
They found the lower numbers of infections and illness days associated with the use of tylosin in chickens far exceeded the increased human health risks associated with antibiotic resistance.
Susantha Gomis, a pathologist at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine in Saskatoon, said this study, like others in Europe and Georgia, is trying to determine if banning all antibiotics in animals will do more harm than good.
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“It’s a double-edged sword. You have to balance it out whether you’re going to have more problems with not using it,” he said, citing risks of sick birds getting into the food chain.
He noted lower doses of antibiotics are given to birds to prevent disease rather than administered to treat sick ones.
These recent studies stem from the European Union’s decision to ban the use of growth promoters in animal feed in the coming year.
Gomis said the research subject is a controversial one, trying to determine if all antibiotic use is bad or if some balance can be achieved to ensure a safe meat supply without causing health problems for humans.
