A call for doctors to recommend antibiotic-free foods: agricultural antibiotics and the public health crisis of antimicrobial resistance

While it is widely known that antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a consequence of antibiotic overuse in patients, the contribution of routine antibiotic use in animal agriculture to this emerging public health crisis is often overlooked. According to the CDC, agricultural antibiotic use is responsible for ~20% of resistant infections in humans. Just as physicians led an anti-smoking campaign to educate patients and communities, so too should we draw attention to the association between routine antibiotic use in animals and the declining efficacy of antibiotics in treating human infections. In this article, we highlight the health and economic consequences of antibiotic misuse in animal production and detail how physicians can use their role and influence to reduce AMR from agriculture.