Agribusiness Update for Friday 07/04/14

Antibiotic resistance is a complex, challenging phenomenon driven by many factors - according to Dr. David White with the Food and Drug Administration. White says overuse in both humans and animals is a complicating factor - though progress has been made to curb inappropriate drug uses in human and veterinary medicine. More work is needed. In December FDA started major changes regarding the use of antimicrobials in food producing animals by asking the animal pharmaceutical industry to re-label certain antimicrobials used in feed by removing indications approved for growth production or feed efficiency and requiring veterinary oversight to obtain these products when needed to assure animal health.

Researchers at Ohio State University believe fructose-asparagine - made of a sugar and amino acid stuck together - could be important in making salmonella less potent and destructive. This nutrient is salmonella's sole food source in an inflamed intestine - and lead study author Brian Ahmer says blocking activation of one of five genes that transport the nutrient to salmonella cells could help fight infection.

That's today's Agribusiness Update from the Ag Information Network.