Antimicrobials used to treat diseases such as campylobacteriosis and salmonellosis are becoming less effective, according to a new research report.

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) report confirmed the rise in antibiotic resistance identified in previous years.

Data on antimicrobial resistance
Continue Reading Antimicrobial resistance in Europe continues to increase

A British newspaper has reported that tests on pork products sold at two major UK supermarket chains found three samples contaminated with a livestock strain of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA. According to The Guardian newspaper, the test results raise concerns that the country “is on the brink of another
Continue Reading Superbug reportedly found in UK supermarket pork products

A new Consumer Reports (CR) study released Friday found that 60 percent of 342 samples of frozen shrimp it tested contained Salmonella, Vibrio, Listeria, or E. coli, and 2 percent tested positive for the superbug MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus). For its new report, “How Safe
Continue Reading Consumer Reports: Tests Find 60 Percent of Frozen Shrimp Contaminated With Bacteria

New research from the U.K. supports the theory that antibiotic-resistant bacteria in livestock can be transmitted to humans. Scientists at the University of Edinburgh studied the evolutionary history of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) clonal complex 398 (CC398), mapping the full genetic code of the strains from the U.K. and comparing
Continue Reading UK Research Shows MRSA Transfers From Livestock to Humans

On Tuesday night, PBS aired FRONTLINE’s two-part documentary exploring the increasing prevalence of antibiotic resistance. The first half of “The Trouble with Antibiotics” focused on the science and politics behind the widespread use of antibiotics in food animals, presenting the history of the practice and attempts to link human illnesses
Continue Reading Documentary Explores Use of Antibiotics in Food Animals

The U.K. Department of Health (DH) has identified the presence of livestock-associated MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) in turkeys and chickens on a farm in East Anglia. The BBC reports that it’s the first case of LA-MRSA in poultry in the U.K., and that two-thirds of the turkeys on the unnamed
Continue Reading MRSA Found in UK Poultry, But Threat to Humans Considered Very Low

Pennsylvania residents living near pig farms or fields fertilized with pig manure were up to 38 percent more likely to acquire infections of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, commonly known as MRSA, according to a new study by researchers from the John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Geisinger’s Henry Hood
Continue Reading New Study Ties Higher Rate of MRSA Infections to Living Near Swine Operations