In the United States during a recent year, more than 32 million pounds of antibiotics were sold for use in livestock, and most of that went for growth promotion and preventive dosing of food-animal populations, regardless of whether the individuals were sick. Globally, total consumption of antimicrobials (that is, drugs against dangerous microbial fungi as well as bacteria) by livestock was roughly 126 million pounds, with China using even more than the United States, and Brazil in third place. Most of that total goes into cattle, chickens, and pigs. A significant fraction of it involves drugs
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