Category: Uncategorized

US/EU FOOD DEBATE. "Key differences exist in the way the United States and the European Union regulate agricultural and food production. In general, US policies tend to be more supply-driven, while EU policies are demand-driven, dominated by consumer concerns." http://www.agbioforum.org/v3n23/v3n23a03-haniotis.htm View in LinkedIn

FOOD ANIMAL ANTIBIOTICS: A ROOT CAUSE. "The World Health Organization concluded that inappropriate use of antibiotics in animal husbandry is an underlying contributor to the emergence and spread of antibiotic-resistant germs, and that the use of antibiotics as growth promoters in animal feeds should be prohibited." http://lnkd.in/dN4CXhv View in LinkedIn

ANTIBIOTICS SPRAYED DIRECTLY ON US CROPS include streptomycin and oxytetracycline at a rate of 53,000 ha per year, as approved by USEPA. http://lnkd.in/dwbfrwX View in LinkedIn

LOSS OF ANTIBIOTICS. "Two years ago, 25,000 Europeans died of bacterial infections that were resistant to antibiotics." Post-antibiotics means no transplants, chemotherapy for cancer is much more dangerous, dangerous burst appendix surgery, pneumonia and are gonorrhea are serious, and TB is incurable. Elders will be vulnerable to minor infections. http://lnkd.in/dXnPGFj View in LinkedIn

LIST OF PESTICIDES BANNED IN EUROPE. In 1992, Europe reviewed about 1,000 pesticides in use and by 2008, issued bans or severely restricted use on 109 of them. The review is ongoing. http://lnkd.in/dmj4kP4 View in LinkedIn

C. DIFFICILE INFECTIONS. "The report quantifies the effects of antibiotic use on the number of illnesses and deaths resulting from Clostridium difficile infections. The report estimates that at a minimum, 250,000 illnesses and 14,000 deaths from C difficile are directly related to antibiotic use and resistance." Note: phage therapy has been especially valuable for C. difficile infections. http://lnkd.in/dRRu8Jq View in LinkedIn

FOREIGN ANTIBIOTIC USES ON CROPS is largely undocumented either by types of compounds used, or by amounts, although it is known that at least streptomycin, oxytetracycline, gentamicin, and oxolinic acid are used as direct crop sprays. http://lnkd.in/dD96tS2 View in LinkedIn

LANDMARK CDC REPORT ON ANTIBIOTICS. "The CDC describes an infectious disease landscape in which 2 million people in the United States are sickened annually with antibiotic-resistant infections. The report estimates that at least 23,000 people a year die from antibiotic-resistant infections. Dr. Frieden emphasized that these numbers are very conservative estimates." http://lnkd.in/dRRu8Jq View in LinkedIn

OVER 50 YEARS OF CROP ANTIBIOTIC SPRAYS in the US, as "indispensable for crop protection". In 2009, 16,465 kg of active ingredient were sprayed in US orchards (0.12% of that used in animal agriculture). Who knew? These oblivious authors cite no adverse effects resulted, except the development of pesky resistance. Not permitted in Europe. http://lnkd.in/dD96tS2 View in LinkedIn

PHARMA NOT INCENTIVIZED. "From a strictly business standpoint, the terrible thing about antibiotics is they cure people ... That’s not a model for a highly lucrative pharmaceutical product — you want a product that has to be taken for a long, long time.” (Or that is properly incentivized by the government). http://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/213011-cdc-director-warns-of-post-antibiotic-era View in LinkedIn