Antibiotic Resistance: Agencies Have Made Limited Progress Addressing Antibiotic Use in Animals: GAO Report to the Ranking Member, Committee on Rules, House of Representatives, September 2011

Antibiotics have saved millions of lives by controlling infectious diseases, but the continued effectiveness of these drugs is now jeopardized by the emergence of bacteria resistant to antibiotics, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Antibiotic-resistant infections can result in the use of more expensive drugs for treatment, longer hospital stays, and even death. In addition, the speed at which antibiotic resistance is rendering these drugs ineffective far outpaces the development of new antibiotics, according to WHO. Potential contributors to antibiotic-resistant infections in humans include the widespread use of antibiotics in human medicine, the presence of antibiotics in the environment, and the use of antibiotics in animals raised for human consumption—often referred to as food animals—such as cattle, swine, and poultry.