As a young student studying microbiology at the University of Kentucky, I immersed myself in the study of antibiotic-resistance.  When I wrote my Master’s thesis in 1954, I wrote at length about a danger that continues to be a growing threat today: antibiotics becoming ineffective against the evolution of modern disease.

Even then, the laws of science were clear.  The more often bacteria are exposed to low levels of antibiotics, the greater the chance that some bacteria will evolve and become antibiotic-resistant superbugs. That basic principle of evolution still holds true today.

The principles of evolution also hold true when it comes to the antibiotics that are given to animals. In 2011, I confirmed with the US Food and Drug Administration that 80% of all antibiotics sold in the United States are sold for use in agriculture. Dangerously, the overwhelming majority of these antibiotics are fed to perfectly healthy animals as a way to compensate for raising them in crowded and unsanitary conditions.

Such irresponsible use of antibiotics actually promotes the development of antibiotic-resistant superbugs in animals and humans alike. Recently, researchers conclusively linked transmission of antibiotic-resistant bacteria from animals to humans. (Read more about this discovery here). Even more shocking, antibiotic-resistant superbugs now kill more Americans every year than HIV/AIDS.

With such clear evidence, you may be asking what the federal government is doing to reduce the overuse of antibiotics, and protect the public against superbugs.  Unfortunately, the answer is “not enough.”

In 1977, the US Food and Drug Administration recognized the danger of routinely using antibiotics in animals. As a result, the FDA ordered a ban on the non-medical use of penicillin and tetracycline in animals.  Yet for reasons that defy all logic the FDA refused to enforce their own rule for the next 35 years (and still refuses to do so today).

As the only microbiologist in Congress, I’ve been fighting for the last 14 years to pass a bill known as the Preservation of Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act, or PAMTA, for short.

PAMTA would end the delay, and finally end the routine use of antibiotics on healthy animals, while still allowing livestock farmers to use antibiotics to treat sick animals. Such legislation would drastically reduce the overuse of antibiotics where they are used most: on the farm.  Passing PAMTA would be a big step forward in the fight against superbugs, and would help protect antibiotics for our children and grandchildren.

Currently 450 organizations, from medical experts to moms like you, support my legislation, but unfortunately not all Members of Congress share our concern about the rising threat of superbugs.  That’s why I need your help. I’m confident that working together, we can reduce the antibiotic use in animals and protect antibiotics for generations to come.

This blog is a part of MomsRising’s Supermoms Against Superbugs Blog Carnival! Please check out other great posts from experts, parents and activists on the front lines in the fight to keep our food healthy and safe.