How does antimicrobial use in animals differ from that in humans?
In human medicine, antimicrobials are approved for disease treatment and prophylaxis or prevention and physicians can prescribe and use antimicrobials without restrictions determining the dose and duration of treatment. In veterinary medicine antimicrobials used in food-producing animals are approved for treatment, control, prevention and growth promotion/feed efficiency. (See the “How are antimicrobials used in animals?” question above for descriptions of these uses). Antimicrobials (and all other drugs, for that matter) given to food animals must be used according to approved label directions or according to federal regulations (such as the Extra Label Drug Use regulation). In fact, many of the drugs shared by both human and veterinary medicine are restricted to a very specific use, dose and duration and can only be administered by a veterinarian if they are used in animals. This means that if you have respiratory infection in a person, it can be treated with whatever your doctor det
