Drug Industry Raises Estimate of Antibiotic Use in Animals

The drug industry boosted its estimate of antibiotic use in chickens, cows and other animals but said the drugs mostly were for treatment or prevention of disease, not growth promotion.

About 20.5 million pounds of drugs were given to animals in 1999, up 15% from 1998, according to a survey released Thursday by the Animal Health Institute.

More than 80% of the antibiotic use found in the latest survey was for therapeutic, not growth, purposes, the trade group said.

Many of the antibiotics can be used for both purposes, however.

Public health officials are concerned that overuse of antibiotics in livestock is leading to drug resistance in humans, making it harder to treat bacterial infections.

Environmentalists say the industry estimates are far too low.

The Union of Concerned Scientists recently estimated that 24.6 million pounds of antibiotics, about 70% of total U.S. antibiotic production, are fed to chickens, pigs and cows for nontherapeutic purposes.

That group’s study was based on publicly available information on herd sizes, approved drug lists and dosages.

The industry surveys are based on the amounts of active ingredients made for animals by the institute’s member companies.

Estimates of antibiotic use are needed to help public health officials study the development of resistance, said Fred Angulo, an epidemiologist at the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The U.S. industry survey did not estimate how much of the drugs it classified as therapeutic were given to healthy animals.