"Overuse of antibiotics in animal feed is making it harder for doctors to treat life-threatening infections in young children, a report from U.S. pediatricians warns.

The report from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) says the widespread practice of giving antibiotics to healthy livestock to promote growth and prevent disease among animals is making the drugs ineffective when they are needed to treat infections in people.

'The antibiotics that are fed to the animals lead to the development of antibiotic resistant bacteria in the animal,' study co-author Dr. Theoklis Zaoutis of the University of Pennsylvania and the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia said by email. 'These bacteria can then be spread to other animals, the environment and to humans.'"

Lisa Rapaport reports for Reuters November 16, 2015. [2]