Antibiotic Overdose

The overuse of antibiotics, says a Tufts expert, could have disastrous effects, prompting one major food company to phase out their use.

Oak Brook, Illinois [07.31.03] In the 60 years since antibiotics were first introduced, the drugs have been heavily prescribed by doctors and widely used for a broad array of purposes - from creating new household cleaners to raising bigger livestock. But a Tufts expert says overuse of antibiotics is dangerous, even deadly, prompting some corporations, including McDonald's, to phase out their use of the drugs.

"Everyone worries about the enemy states creating agents of terror, but we're doing a good job ourselves at creating potential health threats," Tufts’ Stuart Levy, M.D., told the New Scientist, assessing the growing problems of excessive antibiotic use. "I advocate that we see antibiotics as very precious drugs."

According to the Tufts medical professor, overuse of antibiotics has dramatically reduced their effectiveness.

"They could wipe out about 99 percent of bacterial infections," reported the Los Angeles Times. "But as each new class of antibiotics was introduced, the bacteria eventually outwitted the drugs and evolved into more resilient strains."

Scientists and some corporations have begun to take notice.

Last month, McDonald's announced a new policy requiring its meat suppliers to phase out the use of human-medicine antibiotics in their animals.

"It's a tremendous step in reducing the pool of drug-resistant bacteria," Levy, director of the Center for Adaptation Genetics and Drug Resistance at Tufts University School of Medicine, told the Los Angeles Times.

Levy, who is author of "Antibiotic Paradox: How the Misuse of Antibiotics Destroys Their Curative Power," says McDonald's new policy will likely impact other companies because the international corporation "sets a standard for a large amount of other products we consume."

But policy changes like those adopted by McDonald's are not enough, Levy says.

"[Unless doctors and patients learn to reduce their dependence on antibiotics] we are going to continue to lose the battle and will see more and more bacteria with more and more resistance into the next decade," Levy told the New Scientist.