Introduction
Ciproflaxins (or simply Cipro) are a known second-generation of fluoroquinolones. Fluoroquilones, or more generally quinolones, are known as potent chemical agents against Gram-negative bacteria, widely used as a treatment of bacterial infections (Ball, 2000). Ciproflaxins have a wider spectrum of in vitro antibacterial activity and are effective in the treatment of many types of infection associated with Gram-negative bacteria, specifically respiratory tract infections. It is also known to treat anthrax in people (Hilts, 2001).
In a livestock and other animals, a drug which is chemically similar to Cipro is commonly used, known as Baytril. The primary target of Cipro and Baytril and other similar drugs are bacteria called campylobacter. These contaminate most chickens that go to market in the United States and are the most common cause of food-borne illness. In livestock-raising farms, it has been a common practice to give antibiotic-laced water to a few animals that show symptoms of respiratory infections.
Antibiotics in Farming
Small doses of antibiotics for animals has been a practice among ranchers and farmers as they were seen as a method for to make most animals gain as much as 3 percent more weight when they are subjected to antibiotics on a daily basis.
However, it is still unclear exactly why feeding small doses of antibiotics, like tetracycline and fluoroquilones, to animals makes them gain weight, there is some evidence to indicate that the antibiotics kill the flora that would normally thrive in the animals' intestines, thereby allowing the animals to utilize their food more effectively.
In reality, the meat industry does not publicize its use of antibiotics, so accurate information on the amount of antibiotics given to food animals is hard to come by. It is estimated that there are 15-17 million pounds of antibiotics used sub-therapeutically in the United States each year. Antibiotics are given to animals for therapeutic reasons, but that use isn't as controversial because few argue that sick animals should not be treated. Despite this, studies had been made to ensure their safety to human health and the environment.
Hazards posed by Ciproflaxins
Food poisoning is becoming harder to treat with drugs like Cipro because poultry producers are using Baytril to treat chickens for respiratory disease. Critics argue that it is causing the development of Cipro-resistant strains of campylobacter bacteria, the most common cause of foodborne disease. Officials at the CDC and the Food and Drug Administration contend that Baytril is undercutting the effectiveness of Cipro, a close cousin of Baytril, in treating human cases of food poisoning. Problems concerning antibiotics in animals pose a threat to human health.
However, alternatives seem not to be an option as they are slower compared to Baytril, and the respiratory disease spreads rapidly, so producers are forced to either treat entire flocks with antibiotics or else destroy them.
It is possible that Baytril might lead to greater Campylobacter resistance to Cipro and other fluoroquinolone antibiotics. However, research from the CDC reveals that the rates of Cipro resistance have fluctuated. Nonetheless, an alarming number of states have shown strains of campylobacter showing resistance to Ciproflaxin. However, Baytril’s use is not for treatment of campylobacter infections, but for the treatment of respiratory infections which make chickens sick. Moreover, only a small percentage of the population of poultry and livestock are treated with Baytril.
Ciproflaxins and risks with humans
Consumer concerns have increased with the use of antibiotics for animals whose meats are used for human consumption. There have been extensive studies regarding its use in animals as it may compromise the power of the Cipro, which is used by humans, and other similar antibiotics as strong resistance to a drug may develop in a population of microorganisms, the drug and similar others may become useless for some conditions. However, there was strong opposition to withdrawing Baytril. Manufacturers, veterinarians and poultry industry practitioners argued that the danger to human health has not been proved. If the drug is withdrawn, they say, millions of dollars would be lost as farmers will have to change their poultry-raising practices (Hilts, 2001). Years after, FDA has finally decided to ban its use in animals, particularly in livestock such as chickens (Fabi, 2005), despite Bayer, the primary manufacturer of Baytril, stating that the drug poses "no public health threat" and that there is "no evidence that withdrawal of the product would either resolve or have a meaningful impact on the number." (Hilts, 2001).
FDA has shown that use of Baytril in poultry does indeed reduce the effectiveness of Cipro in treating campylobacter. When Cipro-like drugs were first approved for use in poultry in 1995, resistance was negligible, but findings from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) have shown that in 2002, resistance has increased to 20%. Major chicken purchasers have instructed their suppliers to stop using fluoroquinolones in chickens they purchase.
In an estimate by the Union of Concerned Scientists, 70 percent of all antibiotics used in the U.S. are routinely fed to poultry, swine, and beef cattle. These are not used to treat illness, but rather to promote slightly faster growth and to compensate for overcrowded and unhealthy conditions in concentrated animal feeding operations. There are large risks of developing antibiotic-resistant strains of microorganisms, as more than half of these drugs are identical or similar to antibiotics that are important in human medicine. Consumption of meats that whose source has ingested antibiotics may boost the resistances of microorganisms, especially those that are known human pathogens.
This action is the first time that FDA has ever withdrawn an agricultural antibiotic from the market because of concerns about antibiotic resistance affecting human health. This ban was proposed in October 2000, but took nearly five years to finalize because of numerous procedural delays created by Bayer Corp., the only manufacturer of the drug, whose trade name is Baytril. Both Baytril and Cipro are members of the fluoroquinolone class of antibiotics.
FDA has shown that use of Baytril in poultry reduces the effectiveness of Cipro in treating Campylobacter, one of the most common causes of severe bacterial food poisoning. The most recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that resistance to Cipro in Campylobacter in humans has risen to 21 percent as of 2002; when Cipro-like drugs were first approved for use in poultry in 1995, such resistance was negligible. Although Bayer claims that Baytril is critical for poultry production, most top poultry producers have announced that they no longer use these drugs in chickens produced for human consumption, including Tyson, Gold Kist, Perdue, Foster Farms, and Claxton.
Major chicken purchasers, including McDonald`s, Wendy’s, Dairy Queen, Burger King, Domino`s, Hardee`s, Popeye`s, Subway, and Bon Appetit, have instructed their suppliers to stop using fluoroquinolones in chickens they purchase, as part of their compliance with the FDA.
Cipro is a crucial antibiotic for humans. Thus the use of similar drugs such as Baytril in poultry, or any other animals for that matter, may reduce its efficacy in humans. The decision of FDA to ban Baytril is a very important decision because it is the first time FDA has cited antibiotic resistance as the reason for banning use of the drug. However, the FDA still needs to take additional steps to address inappropriate antibiotic use in agriculture, particularly use of medically important antibiotics as feed additive uses.
Petitions to the FDA to ban the use of medically important antibiotics as feed additives for chickens, hogs, and beef cattle are still being processed even today. These petitions are usually based on detailed analyses that show that such use violates the specific safety criteria in FDA's official Guidance on agricultural antibiotics. The American Medical Association and nearly 300 other groups have joined in supporting the bipartisan “Preservation of Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act, legislation that would end the use of medically important antibiotics as feed additives unless FDA finds that they are safe.
References:
- Hilts, P. J. (2001). Cipro for Chickens sets off antibiotic debate. http://www.nytimes.com/2001/10/30/science/life/30CHIC.html
- Fabi, R. (2005). FDA Bans Bayer antibiotic poultry use. http://www.cbgnetwork.org/1114.html
- Ball, P. (2000). Quinolone generations: natural history or natural selection? Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy 46, 17-24.
- Whitney, E and Rolfes, S (2011). Understanding Nutrition. CENGAGE Learning, Wadsworth, CA, USA.
- Spice, B. (2002). Drug for chickens blamed for harder-to-treat food poisoning. http://www.cbgnetwork.org/390.html
- _______ (n.d.) Antibiotic Debate Review. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/meat/safe/overview.html
