On Tuesday, Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-NY) reintroduced the Preservation of Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act (PAMTA), which would ban non-therapeutic uses of medically important antibiotics in food animal production. “My legislation would save eight critical classes of antibiotics from being routinely fed to healthy animals and would reserve them only
Continue Reading Rep. Slaughter Reintroduces Preservation of Antibiotics Legislation

http://www.dreamstime.com/stock-photography-mcdonalds-valencia-spain-june-logo-sign-blue-sky-valencia-world-s-largest-fast-food-chain-over-restaurants-image41622392Fast-food giant McDonald’s announced Wednesday that, within two years, all of the chicken served at its 14,000 U.S. restaurants will come from farms which raised the birds without medically important antibiotics. The move could help limit the overuse of antibiotics in agriculture which contributes to an increase in antibiotic-resistant bugs
Continue Reading McDonald’s Plans to Phase Out Chicken Fed Medically Important Antibiotics

About 80 percent of all antibiotics distributed in the U.S. are for food animals. They’re commonly used to promote growth and to prevent, control and treat disease. Overuse can promote the prevalence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in the food supply and ultimately cause resistant infections in humans. In September, the U.S.
Continue Reading Q&A: US Rep. Louise Slaughter Discusses Antibiotic Resistance

Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-NY), the only microbiologist in Congress, introduced the Preservation of Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act, or PAMTA, on Thursday for the fourth time since 2007. The bill would ban non-therapeutic uses of medically important antibiotics in food animal production. The announcement comes just two weeks after the
Continue Reading Rep. Slaughter Reintroduces PAMTA, Criticizes FDA Strategy for Tackling Antibiotic Resistance

Citing an increased incidence of foodborne illness outbreaks caused by antibiotic-resistant pathogens, public health advocates are again ratcheting up pressure on Congress to limit routine, subtherapeutic antibiotic use in agriculture.

At back to back briefings on Capitol Hill late last week, the Center for Science in the Public Interest and

Continue Reading Health Advocates: Science on Antibiotic Resistance Is Clear