Nearly 80% of the antibiotics sold in the United States are fed to livestock and poultry in an effort to encourage growth and stave-off unsanitary conditions. This chronic exposure leads certain bacteria to develop antibiotic resistance, resulting in dangerous and difficult-to-treat staph infections, like MRSA.
We can choose to buy antibiotic-free meat, but what about the spread of these ‘super germs’ from person to person? A new study from Johns Hopkins and the University of North Carolina found drug-resistant bacteria are able to hitchhike off the farm in the noses of exposed workers.
Researchers analyzed nasal swabs from 22 hog farm workers over a two-week period. While it was previously thought that livestock-related bacteria would clear from workers’ nasal passages within 24 hours, they found that bacteria remained active for up to four days. And seven of the workers carried a form of bacteria resistant to one or more antibiotics.
Last year, a similar study showed that factory farm workers were prone to carrying drug-resistant forms of staph, while antibiotic-free farm workers were not. And a separate study showed people living within a mile of a hog farm were three times more likely to carry MRSA than the general public.
It’s still not fully known how the bacteria are spread among people, and it’s possible to carry staph without becoming infected. More robust studies are needed, as there are currently more than 292,000 livestock workers in the U.S.
One thing is clear: the pervasive use of antibiotics in meat and poultry is not good for public health.
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How Superbugs Hitch a Ride From Hog Farms Into Your Community
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Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio, with script contribution from the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies.