Poultry Antibiotics Not Given Casually

A recent Health Matters column on antibiotics in poultry (“Antibiotics and the Chicken Connection,” July 15) mistakenly suggests that if one chicken caught pneumonia, the disease could spread quickly and that giving low doses of a fluoroquinolone antibiotic in the birds’ drinking water would prevent illness in the rest of the flock. In fact, such treatment is not begun simply on the basis of a single bird’s illness, but on the veterinarian’s assessment of an array of information, including cost. Moreover, flocks are not treated with low doses over an undefined period, but with therapeutic doses of fluoroquinolone over five days.

Contrary to the author’s assertions, the FDA does not intend to ban the use of all antimicrobial drugs in poultry. Rather, the FDA will continue to review and approve new antimicrobial drugs for poultry as long as they meet our rigorous standards for safety.

Scientific tools available today allow the FDA to look with an ever-increasing level of precision at the effects of using antibiotics in food-producing animals. Therefore, we do not have to prohibit access to an entire class of drugs because some of them may pose a threat to human health.

STEPHEN F. SUNDLOF

Director, Center for Veterinary Medicine, Food and Drug Administration