skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Seeking Alternatives to Livestock Antibiotics

play audio
Play

Wednesday, June 11, 2014   

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - Arkansas's livestock farms - including poultry and swine producers - soon will have to look for other means to keep meat free of disease.

The federal Food and Drug Administration has asked pharmaceutical companies to limit the availability of some antibiotics to farmers because of concerns about promoting antibiotic resistance.

Barrett Slenning, a professor at North Carolina State University's College of Veterinary Medicine, said the increasing use of antibiotics has affected the natural development of bacteria over time.

"We are kind of pushing our thumb on the scale, changing that battle, because we can now manufacture these compounds and use them," he said, "and so we're going to be potentially affecting the environment."

Slenning said he still believes human overuse of antibiotics, not livestock, is the biggest threat to the spread of diseases such as MRSA. He added that the MRSA strains often found in livestock are different than those found in humans.

One company in the Southeast has created a treatment that can kill the source of bacteria when applied to an environment. While not in use by farms, products from Clearstream are used in medical facilities, schools and even on cruise ships. Tony Daddona, chief operating officer at Clearstream, said it might provide a healthy livestock alternative.

"Antibiotics are a Band-Aid in every situation," Daddona said. "So, what we try to do is go to the source of the bacteria, before it's ingested into their bodies."

The FDA is recommending veterinary oversight of antibiotic use in livestock farming. In a recent study, Johns Hopkins University found a connection between factory farms and MRSA, particularly in communities with swine-production facilities such as those in Arkansas.

"You're starting to see more and more community-acquired infections taking place with people that normally would not have been exposed to it," said Jim Praechtl, chief executive of Clearstream. "It isn't like these people all made trips to the hospital and came back out with MRSA."

Some farmers say they are seeing results from giving animals more space, changing their diets and keep their living areas cleaner as part of the solution.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…


Nearly 13 million Americans receive health coverage through unique plans under both Medicare and Medicaid. They are known as Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

Social Issues

play sound

A 2023 study from the University of Nebraska Medical Center concluded the number of Nebraskans with a mental health or substance abuse disorder has pr…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021