Alarmed at signs that the overuse of antibiotics in farm animals is blunting these key weapons against human disease, governments are taking action. In industrial farming, antimicrobials are commonly given to farm animals to treat infections, and prophylactically to prevent disease or spur growth. But there is growing concern that excessive use on farms is helping to breed antibiotic-resistant microbes, from Salmonella (see 'Rising resistance') to Escherichia coli, which are harder to treat when they infect people. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is now moving to protect key antibiotics known as cephalosporins, which are used in humans to treat a range of infections, including pneumonia. On 4 January, the agency said that it would prohibit certain uses of cephalosporins in farm animals including cattle, pigs, chickens and turkeys, because overuse of the drugs is "likely to contribute to cephalosporin-resistant strains of certain bacterial pathogens". If cephalosporins become ineffective in treating human diseases, the FDA said, "doctors may have to use drugs that are not as effective, or that have greater side effects".
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