WALL STREET JOURNAL REPORTS STAPHYLOCOCCUS IN PIGS AND PORK
What is of real concern is that the researchers don't seem to understand that Staphylococcus infectious toxins are
not destroyed by cooking. This is a situation were the bacteria isn't always found to confirm the contaminated product
in sickened patients. In the 2000 Japanese Snow Brand food poisoning incident, Viable S. aureus was not detected
from the incriminated food or patients' stool, and therefore it was necessary to directly detect enterotoxin -- 13,420
notified cases. The story implies that Staphylococcus does not cause food poisoning in North America or at least no
one tests for it.
"Perhaps of greatest concern, Ontario Veterinary College researcher Scott Weese also detected these
bacteria in 10% of 212 samples of ground pork and pork chops collected in four Canadian provinces.
These particular strains of antibiotic-resistant bugs haven't so far been shown to sicken patients, at least
in North America."
"The Agriculture Department acknowledges it isn't testing for the antibiotic-resistant bugs, officially
called MRSA, which stands for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus."
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Bacteria in Pork Showing Resistance to Antibiotics
By THOMAS M. BURTON
June 16, 2008; Page B6
Scientists are beginning to detect antibiotic-resistant bacteria in pork, pigs and some veterinarians, raising the issue
of whether these so-called superbugs might find a new route to infect farmworkers or even people who eat pork.
University of Minnesota veterinary public-health researchers last month reported they found the antibiotic-resistant
bugs in 7.1% of 113 swine veterinarians tested. Public-health doctors at the University of Iowa found the same
bacterial strains among 147 of 299 pigs tested with nasal swabs.
Perhaps of greatest concern, Ontario Veterinary College researcher Scott Weese also detected these bacteria in
10% of 212 samples of ground pork and pork chops collected in four Canadian provinces.
These particular strains of antibiotic-resistant bugs haven't so far been shown to sicken patients, at least in North
America. Three patients in Scotland were found to have the same bacterial strain, and there have been serious
infections reported in the Netherlands related to these strains. Since an estimated 18,650 deaths a year in the U.S.
are estimated to be caused by a range of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, researchers have encouraged U.S. and
Canadian authorities to pay attention to the findings.
"It's potentially relevant to the human population," Dr. Weese said. "The question is whether it can cause problems
among humans." He cautions that such bugs in meat and pigs "are not an important source of disease at this point."
In a medical-journal article last year, doctors at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that there
were 94,360 infections in a recent year in the U.S. from certain strains of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Most were in
patients who had recently been hospitalized or were in long-term care such as nursing homes, but there were also
serious infections among people with no such histories. Often, the cases were skin infections, but others are nearly
untreatable pneumonia or blood infections.
The concerns over superbugs in pigs and pork take place against a backdrop in which Congress is questioning
whether the Bush administration is doing enough about food-borne illnesses. These include the recent cases of
salmonella-related illness linked to fresh tomatoes, as well as other outbreaks of E. coli bacterial infections from
ground beef. The Agriculture Department acknowledges it isn't testing for the antibiotic-resistant bugs, officially called
MRSA, which stands for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.
That is understandable, in the view of Lyle Vogel, assistant executive vice president of the American Veterinary
Medical Association. "This is something we cannot ignore, but it's a resource issue," he says. Compared with E. coli
and salmonella infections, "it does not seem to rise to the top of the priority list."
The National Pork Board, an industry trade group, is funding some of the research to evaluate how much of a
concern it is for agriculture workers or the public. This includes the University of Minnesota's work.
Write to Thomas M. Burton at tom.burton@wsj.com