The Consumerist, a publication of Consumers Union, reports on a new study that finds up to one-quarter of the chicken, beef, pork, and turkey sold in the grocery store harbors a drug-resistant form of a common bacteria. Researchers reporting for the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases purchased 80 brands of meat from 26 grocers in five U.S. cities and found half of the meat had the bacteria Staphylococcus aureus, and 52 percent contained a strain of the bacteria that is resistant to at least three different types of bacteria. Researchers from Northern Arizona University were surprised by the prevalence of the antibiotic-resistant Staph.
Antibiotics are used in food production, fed to animals to reduce disease and promote growth. The practice is common in a “factory farm” operation where a large number of animals are crowded together, increasing the risk of spreading a contagious disease. The bacteria were found in the animal’s muscle meat indicating it came from feed. Staphylococcus aureus causes skin infections, sepsis, pneumonia, or endocarditis and was found in 47 percent of the meat samples. The bacteria were not among the four routinely tested in meat by the government which includes Salmonella, E. coli, Campylobacter, and Enterococcus. Those with weak immune systems are most likely to be sickened or die from bacterially contaminated food which infects more than two million annually. Bacteria can be killed by cooking the meat to the recommended temperature, determined by using a meat thermometer. However, the bacteria is left behind on surfaces and utensils used in food preparation.
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