Excessive Antiobiotic Use in Meat Could Spell Doom for Mankind

A new study warns that current rate of antibiotic use in livestock would lead to bacteria developing antibiotic resistance, leaving humans vulnerable.

According to The Huffington Post, the study pointed a growing trend of antibiotic use to treat diseases in the short-term in the developing world. India, China, Brazil and Russia are among the countries where low antibiotic use is expected to double between 2010 and 2030, while it is expected to increase two-third in other developing countries.

"Antimicrobials are used in livestock production to maintain health and productivity. These practices contribute to the spread of drug-resistant pathogens in both livestock and humans, posing a significant public health threat," researchers wrote.

"We project that antimicrobial consumption will rise by 67% by 2030, and nearly double in Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa," they said, adding that the increase can be attributed to growing consumer demand and a shift to large-scale farms where antimicrobial use in low doses is routine.

Drug resistance bacteria can be passed directly from livestock products or can be transferred to humans from the environment. Such bacteria are difficult to treat and pose a high risk of fatality. The poor would be more affected than the rest as drug resistant bacteria required second-line treatment which can be prohibitively expensive.