Guest guest Posted February 21, 2002 Report Share Posted February 21, 2002 can>you>say " time to become vegetarian " ... > > > > >DAILY MAIL (London) > > > >February 13, 2002 > > > >HEADLINE: SUPERBUGS IN FARM ANIMALS THAT THREATEN HUMAN HEALTH > > > >BYLINE: SEAN POULTER > > > >SUPERBUGS which are 'highly-resistant' to anti-biotics used by doctors >have > >been found in British farm animals. > > > >Livestock, particularly pigs, are a reservoir for powerful new bacteria > >which are a threat to human health, a Government study suggested >yesterday. > > > >Any humans infected through food or contaminated water with these bugs - > >new strains of E.coli and campylobacter - are at serious risk. For the >bugs > >have become immune to the medicinal antibiotics which would normally be > >used to drive them out of the body. > > > >Doctors are also worried that this immunity is being passed on to humans > >over time, through food. > > > >As a result a whole raft of drugs will no longer be useful in treating > >conditions including TB, other lung infections and food-poisoning. > > > >The problem has arisen through massive use of antibiotics among animals >on > >factory farms. > > > >The study revealed the discovery of superbugs which cannot be killed by > >some of the most powerful and common medicinal antibiotics, including > >tetracyclines, macrolides such as erythromycin, and ciprofloxacin - used >to > >treat victims of the U.S. anthrax terror alert. > > > >The impact on humans is already being seen in Britain, where 13 per cent >of > >campylobacter food-poisoning cases are linked to strains which can't be > >treated with ciprofloxacin. > > > >The bugs have developed a resistance to the drug, due to routine use of a > >similar antibiotic, enroflaxin, in rearing chicken and pigs. > > > >It appears this is the tip of the iceberg and that without urgent action >to > >reduce antibiotics on farms, humans risk serious illness and death >because > >medicines no longer work. > > > >Government studies previously identified a huge well of disease in the >farm > >animal population, but only now has it admitted to the existence of the > >'highly-resistant' superbugs. > > > >The report by the Department of Food and Rural Affairs warned: 'High >levels > >of resistance to tetracycline were found in isolates of E.coli and high > >levels of resistance to both tetracyclines and macrolides were found in > >isolates of enterococci and campylobacter recovered from pigs. > > > >'In addition, 10 per cent of campylobacter coli isolates from pigs were > >resistant to ciprofloxacin.' > > > >Virtually all - 94.5 per cent - of the 13million pigs slaughtered in the >UK > >in the past year carried campylobacter, which can be extremely serious, > >triggering, in a few cases, blood-poisoning, paralysis and death. Nearly > >one in four pigs carries salmonella > > > >and one in three carry another little-known food-poisoning bacterium, > >yersinia. > > > >Around one in four cows and 17 per cent of sheep carry campylobacter, >while > >6.6 per cent of cattle and 13.7 per cent of sheep carry yersinia. > > > >Richard Young, of the Soil Association said: 'We are seeing the start of > >some alarming trends. We are playing with people's lives for the sake of >cheap > >food.' > >> > _______________ MSN Photos is the easiest way to share and print your photos: http://photos.msn.com/support/worldwide.aspx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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