How can FDA be sure that mastitis caused by using rbST in cows will not lead to increased antibiotic use and antibiotic residues in milk?
Cows treated with POSILAC have a slightly increased risk of mastitis, a common infection of the udder, and antibiotics are often used to treat mastitis. However, FDA has concluded that the increased risk to human health posed by mastitis and the resulting use of antibiotics is insignificant. The effect of POSILAC treatment on the incidence of mastitis is much less than other factors, such as the season, age of the cows, and herd-to-herd variation. For example, the increase in mastitis incidence from winter to summer is at least nine times greater than the increase due to POSILAC treatment. Another important factor is that therapeutic drugs, such as antibiotics for the treatment of mastitis, are to be used in food-producing animals only under approved conditions and with appropriate milk and meat withdrawal periods (as established by FDA) to ensure that food products are safe for human consumption. Federal and State programs require milk to be tested for drug residues, and milk found to
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