Because of worries that it could actually adversely affect human beings, the Food and Drug Administration has taken steps to ban cephalosporin in livestock.
The thinking works like this: although antibiotics such as cephalosporin are a great way to treat infections, extended application can actually cause the person being treated to become susceptible to strengthened bacteria. Cattle, chicken, and pigs have been given the drug to combat internal infection, but since those animals are then processed into our food, we then risk being constantly exposed to the cephalosporin.
Basically, this means it’s possible that fairly harmless bacteria are taken care of while the more serious bacteria like E. coli become immune to the effects of an antibiotic.
There are other antibiotics that are given to livestock that have not yet been banned, such as the far more common tetracycline. However, experts think that the cephalosporin ban is a great step that may lead to bans on more prevalent types of antibiotics.
One area where the ban on cephalosporin will not take place is with pets. The antibiotic is widespread in veterinary offices, and as such, the FDA does not want to compromise the safety of such animals.
As a personal injury lawyer in Long Beach, I’m glad to see any steps taken to preserve public health. It’s my hope that this and other measures can save lives and make food safer for all of us to eat. As a Los Angeles personal injury attorney, I’ll be paying attention to see what other practices the FDA enacts in the near future.
