Researchers have warned that MRSA, the superbug discovered in porks, is more frequently jumping to humans.
Researchers at the University of Cambridge have warned that a new strain of resistant bacteria is spreading from European pigs to humans, causing infection.
The new strain of Livestock-associated Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (LA-MRSA) is believed to have emerged among European livestock in the last 50 years due to widespread antibiotic use in farming, leading to concerns that livestock in Europe could become a reservoir of antibiotic-resistant human infections.
“Historically high antibiotic usage may have contributed to the development of MRSA resistant strains on pig farms,”Gemma Murrayn (who worked on this study) said that the LA-MRSA was an important part of her research. “extremely stable”It has been spread to other livestock species.
The strain, CC398, is the predominant type among European pigs. This makes it a major cause for MRSA infection in people, no matter if they have had contact with livestock.
In the Danish Pig Farms case, MRSA-positive Herds increased from 5% to 90% between 2008 and 2018.
The EU recently outlawed the use zinc oxide (used to treat diarrhea in piglets) due to environmental concerns and to promote antibiotic resistance. However, researchers at Cambridge warn that antibiotic use may have limited effect on spreading the strain because of its stability.
MRSA was first discovered in human beings in 1960. It is now considered one of the most dangerous diseases known by the World Health Organization. Sometimes referred to as a ‘superbug’, it is a type of staph bacteria that has developed a high resistance to many antibiotics.
These infections can cause minor skin problems in most people, but they could lead to more severe health conditions and even death in the case of bacteria that penetrates deeper into the body via the bloodstream.
A Lancet study found that antibiotic-resistant infections were the third leading cause for death worldwide in 2019, with nearly 5 million deaths.
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