DNA as pollutant? That's how some scientists are describing bacteria immune to modern antibiotics.

You've probably heard a lot of theories for the growing threat of antibiotic resistance – including the very prescriptions from our doctors and anti-microbial soaps in our bathroom. But scientists are increasingly concerned about the role of confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs) in what may soon become a crisis.

Although the European Union banned antibiotic use in livestock production years ago, administering antibiotics in feed (regardless of whether an animal is sick or not) is common practice in U.S. conventional livestock production. Evidence shows that these antibiotics are excreted intact from animals and thrive in the sludge beneath their hooves.

And there's new evidence that a common practice – using wastewater and sludge from CAFOs as crop fertilizers – may exacerbate the problem by coating crops with resistant bacteria that are fed back to livestock. (To answer the question running through your head: yes, we eat these crops, too.)

Resistance genes have been identified in waterways downstream from livestock operations and are likely entering groundwater used for drinking. One study found 100 to 1,000 times more resistance genes in soil bacteria around conventional hog farms than soil around organic farms (where antibiotics are not routinely administered).

Once rare, antibiotic-resistant genes regularly infect humans. About 90,000 Americans are struck with potentially fatal infections each year (more than the number of car accident and homicide deaths combined), including the much-publicized MRSA infection, estimated to kill more Americans each year than AIDS.

Of course, our waste contributes to the problem too – much of it ends up in the environment.

Antibiotics are an irreplaceable tool in the medical field. Yet the consequences of their pervasive use are a reminder of the interconnectedness of things – of how troubling DNA quickly becomes woven into our water and land resources, fueled by our farm practices and food choices.

Source: Discover Magazine

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