Photo Credit: Umberto Salvagnin

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has been increasingly concerned about the rise of a little known class of antibiotic-resistant bacteria called carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CREs). CREs have developed resistance to almost all antibiotics, and result in death for up to half of all people who become infected. While CREs are currently the most alarming bacteria to spread through the world, many other bacteria are developing antibiotic resistance at a rapid rate. Part of the cause for this rise in antibiotic-resistant bacteria is the overuse of antibiotics for livestock. About 80 percent of all antibiotics sold are used in livestock facilities, and antibiotic resistance has been linked to this use of antibiotics in conventional animal rearing. Many people are infected with antibiotic strains of bacteria each year, which can be especially dangerous to children. Studies have also found that because organic management does not use antibiotics, antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria are less prevalent in organically produced milk, eggs, and meat than conventionally produced products.