An article in the New York Times today suggests a link between MRSA and pig farming or pork. A doctor in Camden, Indiana, a small town surrounded by hog farms, found a startling number of MRSA cases, and made the link between the hog farms and the infections. He was ready to go public with the insinuations when--he died, at age 54, of a heart attack presumably (though no autopsy was done). Five years ago, some MRSA cases were linked to pig farming in the Netherlands, where a farming family became infected, as well as 8 of 10 of their pigs. In a study of American hog farmers, 45% were infected with MRSA. The article suggests that the antibiotic resistant infection likely developed in pigs due to prophylactic use of antibiotics in animal feed.Cook your meat thoroughly, and wash your hands after dealing with raw meat!
1 comment:
There is little doubt that MRSA in pigs has been leaking into the hospitals for some years outside the US. Canada has had severe problems.
There was a nasty mutation to a porcine circovirus in Britain in 1999 which caused an epidemic that required huge quantities of antibiotics to handle the consequences.
MRSA in pigs was the result, usually ST398 strain.
Both have now travelled the world along with accompanying cover-ups. It is quite a nasty situation - now coming to light in the USA.
MRSA st398, mutated circovirus and various other unpleasant zoonotic diseases have now reached American pig farms.
The US is following a well trodden path into a disaster, but fortunately are reacting very openly and commendably.
The writer has been struggling with this scandal for almost a decade and is so glad to see that his belief in American science and democracy vindicated.
You do have to take this seriously.
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Regards
Pat Gardiner
Release the results of testing British pigs for MRSA and C.Diff now!
www.go-self-sufficient.com and http://animal-epidemics.blogspot.com/
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