Baytril, an antibiotic drug used for treating respiratory illnesses in chickens, is the first veterinary drug to be recalled from the market by the FDA. The government organization pulled the drug from the market in late July 2005, because of concerns over the emergence of antibiotic resistant campylobacter outbreaks in humans.
Campylobacter is one of the most frequently occurring bacterial causes of diarrhea related sickness in the country. Most people who come down with the illness have days of diarrhea, cramping, pain, and fever. The symptoms take between 2 to 5 days after exposure to manifest. There have been several instances where campylobacter caused death. Campylobacter related sickness could take as long as a couple of weeks to recover from.
Some campylobacter infections may become a serious disease called Guillain-Barre syndrome. Guillain-Barre is a disease wherein a person's immune system attacks itself. The disease can lead to serious nerve damage and even paralysis.
The most common form of infection occurs when a person ingests infected chicken meat, especially meat that has not been properly or thoroughly cleaned or cooked. The bacteria form in the chicken's digestive tract and spread to the meat. Campylobacter is especially found in the liver. This form of infection is widespread in developing nations, especially those of the South Eastern Asia region.
Baytril is seen as being a cause of campylobacter infections spreading from the chicken to the person. The chickens usually manifest no symptoms of campylobacter when they are infected.
Baytril has been in use since 1996 as a way to treat infections in chicken populations. In 2000 the FDA took a look into negative effects that Baytril may have on the human population. That year the government organization proposed removing Baytril from the market due to concerns about rising cases of campylobacter in humans. Since Baytril has been on the market the campylobacter infection rate in humans has risen dramatically.
The FDA asked for a Baytril recall from its parent company Bayer, and also asked that another drug made by the pharmaceutical company Abbott be recalled as well. Abbott complied with the FDA's request. Bayer refused to take the drug off the market. The maker of Baytril staved off the drug's demise through a five-year legal battle that finally ended in July of 2005. The recall is currently scheduled to go into effect on September 12, 2005.
Baytril will remain in use as a disease fighting medication in other animals that do not pass on the bacterial disease to humans. If you or someone you know has been affected by a Baytril related disease or hardship contact an experienced attorney through this Web site for a free consultation.