CAFos and Public Health: The Fate of Unabsorbed Antibiotics

Note: Traditionally, the term “antibiotic” refers to compounds that are made by microorganisms, usually yeast or bacteria, and kill other microorganisms (e.g., penicillin). Similar compounds that are synthetic or semi-synthetic are more commonly referred to “antibacterials” or “antimicrobials” (e.g., carbadox). Both are used in food animal production, and, for the purpose of this paper, will be grouped simply as “antibiotics.”