Antibiotic Use in the

Swine Industry
Alexandra Grillos
Taylor Haefs
Cameron Brodhead
Jason Adam

Antibiotics General Definition

Substance (such as penicillin) that destroys or inhibits the growth of other microorganisms and is used in
the treatment of external or internal infections. While some antibiotics are produced by microorganisms,
most are now manufactured synthetically.

Antibiotics History
In 1926, Alexander Fleming
1939, Edward Chain and Howard Florey further studied penicillin
Fleming, Florey and Chain shared the Nobel Prize in 1945 for their work
Thus, antibiotics discovered

Antibiotic Use/Purpose
Research data clearly shows antibiotics increase efficiency of body weight gain, reduce
mortality and morbidity, reduce subclinical disease, and improve health in pigs
Also, at breeding and during lactation benefits reproductive and lactational performance
in sows
Biosecurity is very important in the industry
Virulent strains of bacteria can completely eliminate an entire farm

Reasons for Public Concern

Antibiotic resistance

In September 2013, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention= 2 million
bacterial and fungal illnesses and 23000 deaths yearly.

Health care costs of $20 billion.

Antibiotics used for animal husbandry enter the environment either by manure
spreading or via sludge storage (Lei Tong)

Even though the antibiotics were detected at relatively low concentrations, high risk
to human health (Lei Tong)

Legislation on Antibiotics
The FDA is most able to block animal drugs that pose a risk of drug resistance in humans
when those antimicrobials are new. (Woodward)
Many countries restricted antibiotic use in animal agriculture.
In 2006, the European Union.
Denmark, restricted use of antibiotics for growth promotion and for routine prevention of
diseases.
In the United States, progress slow at the federal level.
The Preservation of Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act (PAMTA), a bill that would
phase out the use in animal feed of eight antibiotics, has routinely stalled in
Congress.

Public Misconceptions
Although the incidence of antibiotic resistance in the human population remains high,
there is no clear evidence that the levels or patterns have changed.
The high levels of antimicrobial resistance in humans likely result from antibiotics
prescribed directly to humans.
Study at Swine Complex of McGill University (In Canada)
Human vaccinations contribute to antibiotic resistance just as much as animal ones.
Antibiotics will not: Mutate your DNA, cause premature growth in children and young
adults, or make you sick.

Solutions
In the past two decades, an intensive amount of research focused on alternatives. (PA
Thacker)
The most researched alternatives = probiotics, prebiotics, enzymes, acidifiers, plant
extracts and neutraceuticals such as copper and zinc (PA Thacker)
Long list of compounds exist which have been tested for their ability to replace
antibiotics.
Completely banning antibiotics will greatly affect the economy
Partial ban may increase resistance
Education is key, as well as more research
Our solution=new alternative, plus national collaboration

Our Solution
1. Focus federally funded money on research for antibiotic alternatives
2. Once found, ensure the alternatives safety to the public
3. Implement new alternative nationally and fluidly, trying to minimize economic
damages
4. Educate people on the safety of their meat product

Works Cited
"Antibiotics." MedicineNet. Web. 12 Mar. 2016.
Barton, MD. "Impact of Antibiotic Use in the Swine Industry." Current Opinion in Microbiology, 19 (2014): 9-15.
Martin, M. , Thottathil, S. , & Newman, T. (2015). Antibiotics overuse in animal agriculture: A call to action for health care providers. American Journal of Public Health,105(12),
2409-2410.
Pakpour, S. , Jabaji, S. , & Chnier, M. (2012). Frequency of antibiotic resistance in a swine facility 2.5 years after a ban on antibiotics.Microbial Ecology, 63(1), 41-50.
Sugerman, D. (2013). Antibiotic resistance.JAMA, 310(20), 2212.
Thacker, PA. "Alternatives to Antibiotics as Growth Promoters for Use in Swine Production: A Review." Journal of Animal
Science and Biotechnology, 4.1 (2013): 35.
Tong, Lei, Ping Li, Yanxin Wang, and Kuanzheng Zhu. "Analysis of Veterinary Antibiotic Residues in Swine Wastewater and
Environmental Water Samples Using Optimized SPE-LC/MS/MS." Chemosphere, 74.8 (2009): 1090-1097.
"What Are Antibiotics?" BusinessDictionary.com. Web. 12 Mar. 2016.