Meat Industry: Antibiotics Resistant Bacteria

In the last post we probed into Staphylococcus aureus, touching on how bacteria responsible for bio-films can cause the spread of it and that the same bacteria is becoming more resistant to antibiotics. This begs the question,"Are the antibiotics fed to animals adding to this resistance?" 

There have been a plethora of studies showing that this practice is contributing to resistance in bacteria in general. One study performed by Matthew, et al states, "In some cases, banning the use of growth-promoting antibiotics appears to have resulted in decreases in prevalence of some drug resistant bacteria." (Matthew) The study goes on to show that this, "increases ... animal morbidity and mortality, particularly in young animals ... sometimes resulted in higher use of therapeutic antibiotics, which often come from drug families of greater relevance to human medicine." (Matthew) It's as though the industry doesn't learn its lesson, committed to turning an animal into profit, no matter the cost. They've reduced antibiotic use in the study only to increase antibiotic use that is more pertinent to humans. 

Why should this concern us? Well, while some antibacterial uses are justified, such as the use of such agents within the hospital industry to save lives, its gratuitous use in other realms, such as the meat industry, is making us vulnerable. The resistance of bacteria to antibiotics is prevalent today and bound to only get worse as time continues. An outbreak of germs resistant to powerful antibiotics was apparent when a deadly, drug- resistant form of pneumonia bacteria took its toll on the Clinical Center of the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Md., last year. After infecting 19 people, it took the lives of 7 of them. Afterwards, Fox News reported, "This latest death raises serious questions about the rise of bugs no longer treatable with antibiotics. The emergence of antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria has become a recent dilemma in the past few years. A notable example has been the rise of the “staph” germ known as MRSA - methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus – which caused unease after the CDC reported 18,650 American deaths from MRSA in 2005 ... According to infectious disease experts, both MRSA and KPC are results of the same problem – the overuse of antibiotics. Utilized in livestock feed, by medical professionals and by consumers just to treat the common cold, the abundance of antibiotics in our society has prompted evolution to select for the antibiotic-resistant trait." (Grush) 

Meanwhile, it isn't solely Staphylococcus aureus that is threatening us, although the numbers of people needlessly dying from it are staggering, drug resistant forms of salmonella are also becoming more common. A study performed in 1984 on Salmonella newport ominously warns "that antimicrobial-resistant organisms of animal origin cause serious human illness, and emphasizes the need for more prudent use of antimicrobials in both human beings and animals." (Holmberg) 

Salmonella newport

If we've had knowledge of this for roughly 30 years, why do we not heed these warnings? The primary purpose of antibiotics in animal feed is to fatten them faster, yielding greater profits. Every time you purchase meat from most anywhere in the U.S. you vote for an antibiotic resistant bacteria epidemic of which you or a loved one might be the next victim of.


Works Cited


Matthew, et al. Foodborne Pathogens and Disease. 28 June 2007. Web. Nov 2012.

Grush, Loren. "Deadly 'superbugs' on the Rise: What You Need to Know." Fox News. FOX News Network, 18 Sept. 2012. Web. 05 Nov. 2012. 

Holmberg, et al. Drug-Resistant Salmonella from Animals Fed Antimicrobials. 6 Sep 1984. Web. Nov 2012.