Factory farms, antibiotics and superbugs: Lance Price at TEDxManhattan
http://tedxmanhattan.org http://saveantibiotics.org How antibiotics are being used to compensate for the overcrowded, stressful conditions on industrial farms and how that's creating superbugs that threaten public health. Lance Price is a public health researcher who works at the interface between science and policy to address the growing crisis of antibiotic resistance. In the laboratory, Dr. Price uses cutting-edge DNA sequencing to trace the origins of new antibiotic-resistant pathogens. By analyzing the genomes of bacteria found in humans, food, and livestock, Dr. Price and his colleagues have traced the origins of new superbugs to industrial livestock production. Dr. Price and his colleagues have also begun to broaden the scope of foodborne disease to include urinary tract infections caused by foodborne E. coli. In the policy arena, Dr. Price works with grassroots organizations, NGOs, and policymakers to develop science-based policies to curb antibiotic abuse in food-animal production and stem the emergence of new superbugs. Dr. Price's work was selected by Discover Magazine as one of the top 100 science stories of 2012. His research has also been covered by top-tier media around the world, including the BBC, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, Scientific American, Men's Journal, and Fitness Magazine, among others. In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)
Comments
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not to mention there's a tremendous amount of animal cruelty involved in factory farms. the US agricultural business is completely in denial about the horrors of factory farming and it's disgusting how many there are in this country
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My interest in this topic was spiked after another video I watched and the overuse of antibiotics in food animal production was mentioned. It was always something I knew about but didn’t know a whole lot about. So immediately after hearing several facts I had to know more because of all the questions that started popping into my head! I didn’t quite understand where the drug resistant bacteria started, I learned that it’s truly a matter evolution. Bacteria living inside the animal comes in contact with repetitive doses of antibiotics and eventually several can build a tolerance to the drug and become completely resistant, so that the next time a dose in ingested it kills off the susceptible bacteria and the immune bacteria remain living and begin to reproduce inside the animal eventually causing it to carry a fully antibiotic resistant infection. I thought it was crazy that human medical care used 7.7 million pounds of antibiotics per year. But then I learned that 30 million pounds of antibiotics are used per year, this is where my questions about the purpose of antibiotics for the animals started getting answered. 20% of them actually go to treating the sick animals, the other 80% is really just used for production tools. Production tools can be things like ingredients that encourage faster growth, prevent future diseases, and to treat diseases that occur because of the way WE treat the animals. These are also called ‘Production Diseases’, infections to the animals based on the living conditions and are only treated by administering only another dose of antibiotics. I appreciated a term that Lance Price used to describe these production sites known as “Factory Farms”, I think this is a very accurate name for an establishment that focuses on the quantity of their production rather than the quality. Continuously pumping antibiotics as a clock based treatment to prevent any possible disease that could affect the greater population of their herd. These low and continuous doses of the drugs are what cause the drug resistant bacteria. Price used the definition of antibiotics being known as ‘societal drugs’, the meaning of this is through a overuse of antibiotics a sense of immunity by bacteria is gained and begins to cause infections in humans and can cause a large spread throughout society. This then prevents everyone from being treated with the same antibiotic. This is the same process that happens through the use of these drugs in food animal production. This outcome is something I find disgustingly comical. These industries are knowingly using ‘sub therapeutic’ antibiotics to ‘better’ the health of their animals, these animals then develop a drug resilient bacteria. Due to the fact that they are given the drug doses practically on clockwork, the bacteria remains very much alive. Once the animal is processed, the large quantities of infected meat are shipped to super markets across the country. Only to be then to be purchased and put a great number of our society’s population at risk of infection. Once the infection affects a large number of people that can’t be treated by antibiotics it is transmitted rapidly until a cure can be found. Once heat of the incident blows back on the production company they blame the people for not properly taking care of their meat or by not cooking it thorough enough to kill the harmful bacteria that THEY created. I greatly appreciated the optimism of Lance Price, he not only gave a great deal of helpful information about this subject he showed us how we prevent this crisis from ruining future generations of possible healthcare. Another question that popped into my head during this video was how do we start the process of ending these super bugs? I learned shortly that it has to begin with the conservation of antibiotics in both hospitals and food animal production. The true problem regarding healthcare here is the affect it has significantly on humans. One way we can begin to conserve the use of these special drugs is only administering them to sick people and sick animals. The next step is to change the system we have to reduce the risk of both people and animals contracting harmful bacteria. By increasing hygiene standards in homes, hospitals, and in the food production system. Eventually down the road, efforts to remove the use of antibiotics from food animal production in unnecessary cases would help terminate the number and chances of drug resistant bacteria. Many bacteria will revert back to being susceptible to the use of antibiotics, bacteria will still remain in animals and in our foods. If we take the time to prep our food properly we minimize the risk of infection, people can and will still get sick! The difference is that now the use of antibiotics will be affective. The last slice of optimism that Price gave was that there is hope and that it is in motion for a better future. There are more models of successful food animal production systems that are remaining extremely efficient and the need for antibiotics are nonexistent. Also on the rise, the number of traditional/natural forms of raising animals known as “open air” grounds, or local farms. These systems are more enjoyable for the farmer and for the animals as well, with no need of antibiotics and no present diseases. This allows for “the farmers to be farmers, animals to be animals, and lets us save antibiotics for future generations.”
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no he claims we use way too much antibiotic . We are not doctors. doctors misuse way too much antibiotic . we are not the problem. we should remove it from their scope of practice . Use microbiologist to identify the causative agent and treat the agent not the location of infection.
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the billion bacteria didn't evolve they all inherited the resistance form the members of the colony already resistant. see they guy will never see the solution because he is stuck on stupid.
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9:30. wow
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Lance Price and Cindy Liu are circumcision pushing charlatans and zealots!
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Vegetables are awesome, I would never knock anyone for going that route. You will never stop the entire planet from eating meat, however, so, like the guy indicated, better hygiene, more room for the animals to roam, antibiotics when they're sick (only), and the use of supplementation to boost the immune system instead of misusing antibiotics to allow the animal to fight off infection are key!! There is a Canadian company looking to help with the supplementation side of things, and they are called, Avivagen. They are a venture capital company on the TSX: VIV. God bless.
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simply you can't stop bacteria from evolving because this is the first aim of life, survival. what can you do is slowing down the inevitable end by using the medicine with knowledge. no matter how you get the antibiotics in your system, main reason is non prescription usage. not my well done T Bone Steak. Thus, it can be said that since you don't cook most of the plants, plants are more likely to keep antibiotics in them. You better stop eating them :(
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These corporate farms need to follow Perdue's lead and think about maintaining the overall health of the animals as efficiently as possible instead of operating towards profit margins.
Thats the problem with this nation in s nutshell, everything is about money -
Even if the antibiotics aren't applied, the resistant bacterial will still be present, correct?
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I think antibiotic was the wrong route to even go in. I believe that people will opt for probiotics and start consuming living foods rather than decaying animal flesh n blood.
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I think people that have to hunt to eat, not for sport, do the least amount of harm to the natural world. They are in tune with animal life and have an intimacy with that world that the rest of us can't hope to understand regardless of what food we choose to buy. I wonder how many animals die from our existence alone, how our carbon foot print effects the smallest form of life and what chain reaction that creates? How many animals had to die because of the resources we needed as infants? Our bottles, pacifiers, diapers, toys, medicines, and special soaps and their containers may still be out there.
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Great plan, its just not going to happen. Too much profit would be lost for the food corporations
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GOOD JOB LANCE! :)
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IF you are tempted to consider free-range or grass-fed beef (or other poultry), here you have something else to consider:
"Grass-fed beef is WORSE THAN factory-farmed beef in terms of environmental impact."
http://www.treehugger.com/green-food/free-range-meat-can-be-worse-planet-long-haul-flights.html?utm_content=buffer090e2&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer (pp6)
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/13/opinion/the-myth-of-sustainable-meat.html?_r=0 (pp4)
It's just an awkward dilemma. -
GO VEGAN, this is THE solution, there is no other
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too many women run to doctor for common cold.
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one year later : http://myscienceacademy.org/2015/12/09/bacteria-resistant-to-all-drugs-shows-up-in-denmark/
You know, avoid it as you may but veganism is the only way ... -
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STOP EATING ANIMALS.
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Desertification, overpopulation, a malnutrition epidemic coexisting with the obesity epidemic, environmental contamination from every sector and a destroyed ecology, superbugs, water shortages, a propped up economy bound to crash, extreme climatic anomalies, wars and rumors of wars.... get educated and equip yourself to serve and change the world with action, not speculation; be selfless; promote awareness and education; become sustainable yourself; love your neighbor; and pray for the future.
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