About Publication

The use of antibiotics in agriculture has been a controversy among farmers, the Food & Drug Administration, the Animal Health Institute, the Center for Disease Control and consumers since 1970. More than “20,000 people a year are dying” from super-bug infections that are antibiotic resistant (Hoffman). Scientists have found that the overuse of antibiotics fuels antibiotic resistance. However, the biggest consumers of antibiotics in the U.S. aren’t humans…they’re animals.

This blog is divided up into three stories that explain the link between antibiotics in livestock and resistant organisms we see in the environment. My first story, Antibiotics. What are they? Provides a detailed explanation of how antibiotics were invented and how they work in our bodies. My second story, The Danger of Resistance, explains how bacteria become resistant to antibiotics. This story also sheds light on the ramifications this has for humans. My last story titled Farming With Medicine, I discuss how antibiotics were introduced to farmers in America.

I encourage you to read the blog in that order to have a full understanding of the conversation. I also encourage you to click on the hyperlinks I’ve provided you that shows my source material in every story. I’ve been working on this for the entire Spring 2018 semester as an honors project for my microbiology class. I hope you have as much enjoyment reading it as I had writing it!