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Genetically modified animals
- 1. Genetically Modified Animals: Future of Antibiotics and Food
- 2. Genetically Modified Food Animals Advancements in genetic engineering and biotechnology has created new ways to edit animal genomes Accelerated growth Large product yields Pathogenically resistant livestock Genetic modification is a viable way to reduce antibiotic use in animal agriculture to make products safer and more sustainable
- 3. The Problem with Antibiotic Use This increases the risk of human infection via: Contact with the animal Exposure to animal manure Consumption of undercooked meat Contact with uncooked meat Overuse of antibiotics in animal agriculture promotes the growth of antibiotic resistant bacteria
- 4. Current Use of Antibiotics The FDA requires veterinary oversight for use of medically-important antibiotics in food animals Antibiotics use is approved for Treating disease in animals that are sick Controlling spread of disease when some animals are sick Prevention of disease in animals at risk of infection 2017: medically important drugs are no longer allowed to be used for growth promotion/feed efficiency
- 5. Criteria for Viable Alternatives For the use of antibiotics to be completely abandoned, alternative methods need to meet the needs of farmers and the food industry: Must still be profitable Must be safe and effective Must be viable for farmers to begin using
- 6. Genetic Engineering: A Solution? American Angus Association taking first steps toward breeding cattle with greater immunity More immune cattle Less infections Less need for antibiotics Reduces health costs for the farmer Prevents production losses Improves public safety
- 7. CRISPR and Animal Agriculture CRISPR- tool used to precisely edit genomes CRISPR sequences bind to target DNA and can cut it, turning targeted genes on and off and edited DNA can be modified, deleted, or a new sequence can be inserted into the genome
- 8. Complications with Genetic Modification Engineered animals may suffer a loss of fitness due to modifications Trojan Gene Effect- if the resulting offspring are genetically inferior, this could lead a species toward eventual extinction Ex. Recombinant bovine somatotropin was used on dairy cows to increase milk yield but increased rates of Mastitis Lameness Poor body conditions
- 9. Pushback & Arising Issues There is always some resistance to GMOs from some consumers Stigma of genetically modifying food GMOs are wide and varying; no consensus on safety Concerns for animal welfare Invasiveness of procedures Compromising animal welfare Intellectual property Patenting animals and means to make them
- 10. Key Players Farmers Save money on health costs Protect profits Comply with increasing FDA regulation At risk of legal patenting Food Companies Attracted to improved efficiency Consumers (opponents to GMO foods) Segments may oppose eating modified animals Animal rights activists Oppose GM animals due to ethical repercussions Pharmaceutical companies Lose out on sales of antibiotics to food producers
- 11. Conclusion Given the novelty of biotechnology in animal agriculture, more research can be done Genetic engineering may not just be able to make products safer, but can also improve sustainability in the future and should be considered as a solution to the current antibiotic problem
- 12. Works Cited Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Food and Food Animals.” Antibiotic/Antimicrobial Resistance (AR/AMR). 29 February 2020. https://www.cdc.gov/drugresistance/food.html “Genetically Engineered Cows: How CRISPR Could Improve Cattle Farming.” Synthego, February 19th, 2019, https://www.synthego.com/blog/alison-van-eenennamm-podcast Greger, Michael. “Transgenesis in Animal Agriculture: Addressing Animal Health and Welfare Concerns.” Journal of Agricultural & Environmental Ethics, no. 5, 2011, p. 451. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edsgao&AN=edsgcl.266947733&site=eds-live. Heller, Sam. “Genetically Modified Organisms: Safe To Eat, Safe For The Environment?” The Environmental Magazine, Roddy Sheer, April 15, 2020, https://emagazine.com/gmo-safety/ Janssen, Kasper, and Piter Bijma. “The Economic Value of R0 for Selective Breeding against Microparasitic Diseases.” Genetics Selection Evolution, vol. 52, no. 1, Jan. 2020, p. 1. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edb&AN=141513314&site=eds-live. Martin, Michael J., et al. “Antibiotics Overuse in Animal Agriculture: A Call to Action for Health Care Providers.” American Journal of Public Health, vol. 105, no. 12, Dec. 2015, pp. 2409–2410. EBSCOhost, doi:10.2105/AJPH.2015.302870. Ormandy, Elisabeth H et al. “Genetic engineering of animals: ethical issues, including welfare concerns.” The Canadian Veterinary Journal, vol. 52,5 (2011): 544-50. Reiman, Miranda. “Proactive livestock health means a genetic approach.” Aberdeen News, 28 February 2020, https://www.aberdeennews.com/farm_forum/proactive-livestock-health-means-a- genetic-approach/article_a69004e4-59bd-11ea-a0d0-07c0107175c5.html
Editor's Notes
- Advancements in genetic engineering and biotechnology has sparked new ways to edit animal genomes and disrupt animal agriculture. Animals have already been bred and modified to have accelerated growth and grow much larger to increase yields (Ex. Broiler chickens). More research has gone into breeding livestock that is resistant to disease which will curb the use of antibiotics which has major consequences when unchecked. Genetic modification is now becoming a viable method to make animal agriculture safe and perhaps may improve sustainability.
- Antibiotics are incorporated into animal feed to promote growth and save money on feed. The overuse of antibiotics in animal agriculture when it is not necessary to treat an infection promotes the growth of antibiotic resistant bacteria that is extremely dangerous to humans. The more often antibiotics are used, resistant bacteria strains will survive and proliferate, creating a dangerous strain that will cause harm if humans are to make contact with it. Humans are at risk of infection through contact with the animal itself, exposure to animal manure, consumption of undercooked meat, and contact with uncooked meat. The overuse of antibiotics is a public health concern, but farmers still advocate for the use of antibiotics to protect their products and profits.
- Since 2017, the use of antibiotics in animal agriculture has become more regulated and usage has decreased. The FDA requires that a certified veterinarian oversees the use of antibiotics that are medically important (used to treat infections in humans) in food animals. Even then, antibiotic use is only approved for treating animals that are sick and preventing the spread of a disease to at-risk animals. Producers are also no longer allowed to use antibiotics to promote growth and feed efficiency anymore, curbing the unnecessary use of antibiotics and preventing misuse. These conditions are lax, however, with producers still being allowed to use antibiotics if they are being overseen by a veterinarian, making a public health risk still possible.
- The root cause of the public health risk is the overuse of antibiotics on food animals. If producers were to abandon antibiotic usage, farmers would lose profits from product damages and risks massive waves of infection in their production farms. Whatever alternative there is to using antibiotics in food animals, the method needs to still be profitable to producers to make it more appealing to them. For the interest of the consumer and food companies, the alternative must also be safe and effective in preventing infection. Lastly, these methods need to be viable for farmers to implement in their production line.
- The American Angus Association has taken steps toward breeding cattle with greater disease immunity by working with genomics. The goal of their research is to breed more immune cattle which will result in less infections. Doing so will eliminate the need for antibiotics which is not only in the consumer’s best interest, but will save farmers from large health costs and production losses.
- CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats) is a biotech tool used to precisely edit the genomes and can be applied in animal agriculture as well. The way the tool works is that mRNA is sequenced to bind to a specific target on DNA so that the Cas9 enzyme can make precise cuts in the animal’s DNA. This allows scientists to modify, delete, or even insert a new sequence of DNA into an animal’s genome and effectively editing its genes to suit whatever need. Genetic engineering already exists in animal agriculture and has been responsible for making animals with accelerated growth rates and animals that yield much more meat. CRISPR technology has also made breakthroughs such as modifying the dairy cow to be hornless at birth instead of having to burn them off. Further research is going into editing the genomes of cattle to make them immune to pathogenic infection, eliminating the need to use antibiotics.
- There are still many complications when it comes to tampering with an organism’s genome. Editing one sequence in an organism’s DNA can lead to a cascade of unintentional effects on the animal’s fitness. It is very possible that engineered animals will suffer a loss of fitness due to these modifications. For example, the use of recombinant bovine somatotropin drug has been found to increase milk yield but also led to increased rates of mastitis (inflammation of the breast), lameness, and poorer body conditions in the cattle given the drug. The Trojan gene effect also raises a concern about animal welfare if these genetically modified, inferior animals were to escape and integrate into the wild. If the resulting offspring are genetically inferior and have poor survival capabilities in the wild, it could lead a species toward extinction if the gene were to enter the population. However, this concern is mainly raised in aquastock rather than cattle since farm fish can more easily escape into a nearby ecosystem and interact with the wild fish population.
- Although animal engineering may be a viable solution to the antibiotic problem, there are many pushbacks from the public and issues that arise as biotechnology gets further intertwined with the food industry. There is always a stigma around GMOs as we’ve learned, and genetically modified animal products are no exception. Some segments of the consumer market are distrustful of GMOs. However, GMOs are so wide and varying in purpose that there is no consensus about the safety of GMOs across the board. One cannot make blanket statements when it comes to the safety of GMOs which can make it difficult for consumers to accept. There are also growing concerns about animal welfare when it comes to the invasiveness of genome modification and how these modifications can compromise animal welfare or lead to poorer treatment of the animals in production. Legal issues will also come from patenting modified animals and the means of creating these animals. Food companies can legally stronghold farmers through means similar to that of seed patenting.
- Looking first at the food supply chain, farmers may be more willing to invest in genetically modified livestock if it means they can cut down health care costs for their product while still protecting profits from infection. Adopting these resistant animals will also allow them to comply with the FDA regulations that are growing even stricter. However, this leaves them at risk to patenting issues with predatory food companies. Food companies will also be attracted to eliminating the need to purchase antibiotics if they are no longer needed and genetically modified livestock is in their best interest especially with the countless possibilities it holds in the future. There will be some resistance to segments of the consumer market that are distrustful of GMOs. The ambiguity of GMO safety has caused concerned consumers to push for GMO free foods. Animal rights activists will obviously oppose genetically modified animals and the methods of modifying them. Some are concerned about humans exerting even more of a power imbalance between man and animal and its not ethically right to modify the genome of an animal to this extent. Pharmaceutical companies are also going to lose out on antibiotic sales if genetically immune livestock makes a breakthrough. Before the FDA tightened antibiotic usage in animal agriculture, 80% of antibiotic sales were to animal agriculture.
- https://www.synthego.com/blog/alison-van-eenennamm-podcast I highly recommend if you’re interested in CRISPR technology in the cattle industry to check out this podcast. They talk about all the new possibilities CRISPR has opened up for the industry.