In class this week we have been talking about the spread of disease from animals to humans, so this article caught my eye. The main concept of the article is the concern that livestock are becoming resistant to antibiotics to treat bacterial infections including MRSA. New studies are revealing that the diseases can be transmitted from livestock to human.
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, also known simply as MRSA is causing the most stir in this study. The concern with MRSA is that it does not react to any form of medication and is a highly contagious staph bacteria. MRSA in humans has been causing concern recently as a student athlete at a Florida college is fighting for her life after being infected. The disease is deadly and although some cases are mild, they can become dangerous very quickly. However an alarming 20,000 or so Americans die each year to MRSA. Typically the disease infects the skin, but can also cause respitory complications.
In the past the disease has been detected in common livestock, however researches attributed the findings to a strain found in humans. However they believe that the disease mutated itself into several different forms in the livestock and created the dangerous antibiotic resistance form.
In the years following, livestock were fed drugs in their animal feed to grow them healthier and larger to produce better meat. Another advantage to feed the animals this drug was that it prevented bacteria growth including E. Coli which can infect humans when poorly prepared food is eaten. But the negative to the drug is that it creates that antibiotic resistance in the livestock. The article focuses on the debate over whether or not to continue to feed this drug to the livestock.
As I mentioned before we have recently been studying how birds specifically have been transmitting flu to humans since 1918 and possibly further back. Im not sure however, where I stand on the issue of whether or not these drugs should still be fed to livestock. I don't agree that the drugs should be used only to make the livestock bigger, but less fatty, because I believe that is more to keep business up. However, there is more to it than a business deal. I see benefits to the drug because it does prevent the growth of bacteria like E. Coli which can infect us from poorly cooked meat. Yet while the drug does good, it also creates antibiotic resistant bacteria which can be dangerous regarding the spread of MRSA. What stood out to me from the article was that MRSA has become so dangerous in the United States for those handeling livestock. It then spreads to other humans who may not even be in contact with the animals. Then, being a strain of staph, it can spread through sweat and is often an issue for athletes or gym goers. Being an athlete myself it really makes me contemplate whether the drug should be fed to the livestock, because I never knew the disease began this way. A number that really stood out to me was "Zervos said about 20,000 Americans die each year due to MRSA complications, meaning there are more deaths related to the staph infection than AIDS each year. About 16,000 people in the United States die of AIDS each year, according to the CDC. " So should these animals be fed this drug?
I completely agree with Lindsey that it’s a tough decision whether or not livestock should still be given the drug that helps them grow and prevent them from getting E.Coli. If the cattle were not given the drug anymore, than what would happen to the sale of meat? There could be a shortage of it since the animals are not producing as much. Then there is the greater chance of E.Coli if the cattle were not given the drug. Perhaps a simple solution to this would leave the decision up to the consumer. There are places that sell meat from animals that have not been given any hormones or drugs. If a consumer is so concerned about the environment in which the meat came from, they could purchase it from a place where the animals have not received any drugs.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Kate and Lindsey. One thing that Lindsey said that stood out to me was how this bacteria can be spread by sweat, like a lot of people I play sports and go to the gym but you never really think about just how much is living on the matts you sit on or whats growing on the turf.
ReplyDeleteMeat should be healthy for us to eat without the fear of getting sick but organic meats cost a lot and some people cannot afford the best of the best. In the long run it is all up to the consumer to chose if their meat should be given a drug or not.