Drug-Resistant Bacteria Found In Workers At Industrial Farms

The ongoing use of antibiotics in livestock has spawned controversy over the extent to which these medications jeopardize human health by causing resistance to develop to the drugs. Two months ago, for instance, a bill was introduced in the US Senate to limit antibiotic use in livestock. And for the second time this year, a study published in PLOS One indicates that such concerns have merit. Researchers found drug-resistant bacteria associated with livestock in the noses of industrial livestock workers in North Carolina, but not in the noses of antibiotic-free livestock workers. The drug-resistant bacteria examined were Staphylococcus aureus, which is commonly known as Staph and includes MRSA, a bacterium that is responsible for several difficult-to-treat infections in humans. Although all of the workers in the study had direct or indirect contact with livestock, only the industrial workers carried antibiotic-resistant Staph with multiple genetic characteristics linked to livestock. A total of 204 livestock workers and household members had their noses swabbed. Staph aureus were assessed for antibiotic susceptibility and the absence of the scn gene, which is a marker of livestock association. They found 37 percent of 41 industrial livestock workers and household members tested positive for multi-drug resistant Staph aureus compared with 19 percent of 42 antibiotic-free livestock workers and their household members. Similarly, 46 percent of the industrial livestock participant...
Source: Pharmalot - Category: Pharma Commentators Authors: Source Type: blogs