Posted on 06/24/2007 6:10:19 PM PDT by blam
Supermarket meat 'could be MRSA infected'
By Harry Wallop, Consumer Affairs Correspondent
Last Updated: 12:39am BST 25/06/2007
Pork, beef and chicken in supermarkets could be infected with a strain of MRSA, according to a report today by organic campaigners which warns that the issue could become "a new monster".
The bacterium is sweeping northern Europe and has already infected one in five of all pork products on sale in Holland, from where Britain imports almost two thirds of all its pork, the report claims.
The strain found in Holland, Denmark, Belgium and Germany is different from MRSA found in British hospitals, which was a contributory factor in 3,800 deaths in 2005.
However, the report by the Soil Association, the organic pressure group, claims that the bug found in European meat is just as deadly and infectious. It is resistant to tetracycline antibiotics, the most common drugs used to cure hospital MRSA.
So far no meat or farm animals in this country have been found to be infected with the European strain. However, no testing for the microbe in pork or chicken is done.
Only cattle are tested - the least likely animal to be infected - and the Food Standards Agency (FSA) does not test any imported meat.
The Soil Association is calling on the Government to start testing for the superbug in meat as a matter of urgency.
The FSA yesterday said that it was monitoring the situation closely but added that worried consumers should follow the advice given to avoid salmonella. "Proper cooking will destroy MRSA," it said in a statement.
The worry, however, is that though the bug is killed by cooking the meat thoroughly, it is easy to become infected by handling raw meat.
Richard Young, of the Soil Association, said: "It is all very well cooking the meat well, and washing your hands before sitting down to eat your meal. All you need to do is scratch your nose while handling the meat for you to become infected."
Almost half of Dutch pig farmers carry MRSA - a prevalence 1,500 times higher than in the overall Dutch population. The Netherlands exports six million pigs a year to its neighbours.
The Soil Association claims that it is only a matter of time before MRSA is found in domestic meat, and that the heavy use of antibiotics in British farming makes infection more likely.
A spokesman for the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, said: "Antibiotics are vital to protect the health of farm livestock."
He reiterated that no cases of MRSA had been found in Britain. "Defra keeps the surveillance of MRSA under active review and surveillance is prioritised in consultation with colleagues working in the medical field, bearing in mind the most recent findings relating to humans in the UK."
Crappy reporting again. What does MRSA stand for? All the other initials are explained.
Overview of Healthcare-associated MRSA
Go to Community-Associated MRSA
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) is a type of bacteria that is resistant to certain antibiotics. These antibiotics include methicillin and other more common antibiotics such as oxacillin, penicillin and amoxicillin. Staph infections, including MRSA, occur most frequently among persons in hospitals and healthcare facilities (such as nursing homes and dialysis centers) who have weakened immune systems.
MRSA infections that are acquired by persons who have not been recently (within the past year) hospitalized or had a medical procedure (such as dialysis, surgery, catheters) are known as CA-MRSA infections. Staph or MRSA infections in the community are usually manifested as skin infections, such as pimples and boils, and occur in otherwise healthy people. (see Community-associated MRSA. )
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dhqp/ar_mrsa.html
Did this meat, by any chance, come from China?
As usual, no one is protecting the people. Of course, that would actually mean doing your job and not taking from the Yum Yum Graft Tree.
One (more) reason to become vegetarian, or eat only meat from sources you can trust. Cooking can’t kill everything, especially as these things mutate. I’ve yet to hear of a superbug in rice and beans.
I think of it as taking control.
Too bad about all the human feces infected spinach, grapes, strawberries and such last year
ping
Thorough cooking will kill all bacteria and viruses.
You may be thinking of prions from Mad Cow Disease which cooking will not kill.
To be more specific, enough heat, along with sealing containers, will kill botulinum spores. But they can get on the outside of containers, utensils, and the like. They can also be inhaled and get into the bloodstream through respiratory mucus membranes.
They’ve found this primarily in pork products in Holland, eh? Gee, who doesn’t eat pork?
Genome and virulence determinants of high virulence community-acquired MRSA
The second link has a very interesting glossary section. I keep forgetting panton-valentine leukocidin. I found the first link using PVL as a key word that I made when I posted it.
OBTW:
FDA Urgently Warns Consumers about Health Risks of Potentially Contaminated Olives
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is alerting consumers to possible serious health risks from eating olives that may be contaminated with a deadly bacterium, Clostridium botulinum. C. botulinum can cause botulism, a potentially fatal illness. The olives are made by Charlie Brown di Rutigliano & Figli S.r.l, of Bari, Italy and are being recalled by the manufacturer. No illnesses have been reported to date in connection with this recall.
The olives should not be eaten alone or in other foods, even if they do not appear to be spoiled. Consumers should discard these products or return them to the point of purchase. If in doubt, consumers should contact the retailer and inquire whether its olives are part of the recall.
Last I knew.. Olives ain't MEAT.
90% of the baby back ribs sold in restaurants in the US come from Denmark. I know Denmark isn’t mentioned, but it’s in the same neck of the woods. Certainly food for thought (pun intended).
Human? The spinach was infected by pigs.
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