Chapter 6, Problem 15P

A $\text{2013}$ CDC report identified the practice of routinely adding antibiotic compounds to animal feed as a major culprit in the rapid increase in the number of antibiotic $\text{-}$ resistant strains. Agricultural practice in recent decades has encouraged the addition of antibiotics to the animal feed to promote growth rather than to treat disease.

a. Speculate about the process by which feeding antibiotics to animals such as cattle might lead to an increase in the number of antibiotic $\text{-}$ resistant strains of bacteria.

b. How might the increase in antibiotic $\text{-}$ resistant strains of bacteria in cattle be a threat to human health?