Antibiotic-Resistant Disease Killing Humans and Swine

  The antibiotic-resistant bacteria Extended
  Spectrum Beta Lactamase (ESBL) is killing both
  people and swine in Denmark.

  The bacteria has been implicated in the deaths
  of a number of cancer and liver disease
  patients. The number of infected patients
  jumped 50 percent last year.

  Health officials said the bacteria is being
  transmitted to humans through pigs. The
  increased use of antibiotics in agriculture may
  be behind the spread of the resistant strain.

 What are ESBLs?

  Extended-Spectrum Beta-Lactamases (ESBLs) are
  actually enzymes produced by certain types of
  bacteria, which renders the bacteria resistant
  to the antibiotics commonly used to treat them.

  ESBLs were first discovered in the mid-1980s. At
  the time they were mostly found in the
  Klebsiella species of bacteria, in hospital
  intensive care units. Until recently, few people
  were affected by these mutated bacteria and it
  didn't appear to be a major growing concern.

  That has changed, however. According to the
  British Health Protection Agency (HPA), a new
  class of ESBL (called CTX-M enzymes) has emerged,
  which are now being widely detected among E.Coli
  bacteria. These ESBL-producing E. Coli are
  resistant to penicillins and cephalosporins, and
  are becoming more frequent in urinary tract
  infections.

  Other species of bacteria that can now produce
  ESBLs include:

  K. pneumoniae
  K. oxytoca
  Salmonella
  Proteus mirabilis
  Pseudomonas aeruginosa
  The Problem is Worse Than You Think!

  According to a study published October 2007 in
  the Journal of the American Medical Association
  (JAMA), there were close to 100,000 cases of
  invasive methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus
  aureus (MRSA) infections in the United States
  in 2005, which lead to more than 18,600 deaths.

  To put that number into perspective, HIV/AIDS
  killed 17,000 people that year.

  Antibiotic-resistant disease IS a major man-made
  problem.

  This was the study that propelled MRSA into the
  news last year, combined with a number of school
  outbreaks that took place around the same time.
  Discussions focused largely on reducing medical
  over-use of antibiotics, and proper hygiene such
  as washing your hands with soap and water to
  reduce the spread of infectious disease.

  But little has been said about the rampant
  over-use of antibiotics in agriculture, which is
  a MAJOR source of human antibiotic consumption,
  and hence increased antibiotic resistance.

  Agriculture as a Source of Antibiotic Resistance

  Both MRSA and ESBL are being traced back to
  animals raised for food production, especially
  pigs.

  These animals are often fed antibiotics at low
  doses for disease prevention and growth promotion.
  Animals receiving antibiotics in their feed gain
  4 to 5 percent more body weight than animals that
  do not receive antibiotics, but the price is high
  for you, the end consumer, because this practice
  also creates the perfect conditions for antibiotic
  resistance to flourish.

  Denmark's health officials claim they're unsure of
  how farmers and veterinarians, who have not
  consumed infected meat, are becoming infected.
  However, according to research cited on Johns
  Hopkins website, the main reservoir of these
  organisms is in the lower digestive tract, and
  they can persist within the gastrointestinal tract
  for months. So perhaps the answer doesn't have to
  be all that complicated.

  So, the meat industry practice of using antibiotics
  is indeed a driving force behind the development of
  antibiotic resistance in a now wide variety of
  bacteria that cause human disease.

  The long stalemate on this issue constitutes a
  struggle between strong science and bad politics.
  The FDA finally banned the use of fluoroquinolones
  - a widely used class of antimicrobials -- from
  agricultural use August 1997, but not without the
  Bayer Corporation kicking and screaming in vehement
  opposition. After all, antibiotics for livestock
  use is big business. It constitutes about 70
  percent of ALL antibiotic use! They couldn't
  replace that market with human consumers even if
  they tried.

  Other Agricultural Sources of Antibiotics

  Another heavily tainted meat product you should stay
  away from is conventionally raised chicken. A 2006
  study published in the Journal of Infectious
  Diseases found that bacteria from conventional
  chicken and from people who ate the chicken became
  resistant to Synercid, a strong antibiotic used to
  treat antibiotic-resistant bacteria. In essence, it
  can cause resistance to the last lines of defense
  currently available in the modern medicine cabinet.

  It also found that it was rare to find resistant
  bacteria among antibiotic-free chicken, while the
  majority of bacterial isolates from conventional
  poultry were resistant.

  But, the ramifications of using antibiotics in
  agriculture don't end there. Antibiotics filter
  down through the food chain in sometimes
  non-suspecting ways.

  Antibiotics are also being transferred, via
  manure, into your food supply.

  A 2007 study in the Journal of Environmental
  Quality looked at whether food crops will
  accumulate antibiotics from soil covered with
  antibiotic-containing manure.

  In a greenhouse setting, corn, lettuce and
  potatoes were grown on soil that contained hog
  manure with a commonly used veterinary
  antibiotic added.

  The antibiotics were absorbed by all three
  crops, into both their leaves and tissue.
  Meanwhile, the antibiotics also transferred to
  the potato tubers, suggesting that root crops
  like carrots, radishes and potatoes may be
  particularly at risk of antibiotic accumulation.

  These findings unfortunately also have
  implications for organic farmers, who often use
  manure as their main source of fertilizer. And,
  as it stands, manure that contains antibiotics
  is still allowed under the organic label.

How to Avoid Excessive Antibiotic Exposure

  So how can you ensure that the food you feed to
  yourself and your family is pure and healthy?

  Apart from growing it yourself, your best option
  is to get to know a local farmer near you -- one
  who uses non-toxic farming methods. If you live
  in an urban area, there are increasing numbers of
  community-supported agriculture programs available
  that give you access to healthy, locally grown
  foods even if you live in the heart of the city.

  If you are looking for a safer alternative to
  commercially raised beef please be sure to check
  out grass-fed beef. Grass-fed cattle are not
  routinely fed antibiotics. They may occasionally
  receive them for an infection, but that would be
  the rare exception, and even then they are only
  used for a few days.

  =====
  "Natural" is best, organic superior, and to
  learn how to undo the negative effects already
  suffered you, visit  All In One Health!