back to Organic Consumers Assn. Stop Food Irradiation page Tainted, drug-resistant meat common Studies stir debate on antibiotic use in livestock Researchers found that 20 percent of 200 samples of ground chicken, beef, turkey, and pork purchased at three Washington D.C.-area supermarkets contained the salmonella germ. MSNBC NEWS SERVICES Oct. 17, 2001- One in five samples of supermarket ground meat and poultry bought for a study was contaminated with salmonella, and most of the strains were resistant to antibiotics. THE FINDINGS suggest harmful bacteria in meat and poultry are becoming more resistant to antibiotics due to the long-controversial practice of feeding the drugs to cattle and other food animals. Several studies on livestock and antibiotics published in this week's New England Journal of Medicine spurred calls for stronger restrictions on the practice. For decades, farmers have given antibiotics to animals raised for food. The Animal Health Institute, which represents makers of animal drugs, says more than 20 million pounds of antibiotics are used yearly in animals, mostly to treat or prevent disease. The Union of Concerned Scientists estimates that as little as 2 million pounds go to sick animals, while the rest is meant largely to shield animals from disease and promote growth. By contrast, humans take an estimated 3 million pounds. Scientists worry that powerful animal germs can sicken people through their food and transfer antibiotic resistance to humans. SALMONELLA STUDY In the salmonella study, investigators from the Food and Drug Administration and University of Maryland found that 20 percent of the 200 samples of ground chicken, beef, turkey, and pork purchased at three Washington D.C.-area supermarkets contained the salmonella germ. In addition, 84 percent of those salmonella bacteria were resistant to at least one type of antibiotic; 53 percent were resistant to three or more. Four samples carried an unusually powerful strain known as DT104. "It's very alarming because this organism is resistant to at least five different antibiotics and has been the cause of outbreaks," said Jianghong Meng, a University of Maryland microbiologist. Nearly 1.4 million cases of salmonella poisoning occur in the United States each year from eating contaminated beef, pork, poultry, eggs and milk. The risk is highest among the elderly and people whose immune systems are not working properly. Biologist Margaret Mellon, director of food programs at the Union of Concerned Scientists, blamed heavy use of antibiotics in livestock. "We need to take action now to reduce the unnecessary use in animals," she said. POTENTIALLY FATAL GERM In one of the other studies, researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that more than half of 407 supermarket chickens bought from 26 stores in four states - Georgia, Maryland, Minnesota and Oregon - carried the sometimes fatal germ Enterococcus faecium in a form resistant to Synercid, one of the few drugs of last resort against the infection. The drug was approved for humans only two years ago, but a similar one has been given to livestock since the 1970s. In the study, 1 percent of human stool samples also carried the resistant germ. But the researchers warned of future increases and suggested that use of the livestock drug, virginiamycin, may need to be limited. The FDA is considering such a ban, according to Stephen F. Sundlof, director of the agency's Center for Veterinary Medicine. Sundlof said the salmonella findings appear to be in line with other FDA samplings for the bacteria in recent years. Those surveys, however, looked at meat in slaughterhouses, before it had undergone processing that can introduce more contamination. The new research, along with previous studies "represent the proverbial smoking gun" that demonstrates why it is time to stop feeding antibiotics to livestock, said Dr. Sherwood Gorbach in an accompanying editorial. Gorbach, an infectious-disease specialist at Tufts University, added that especially important human drugs should be banned for any use in farm animals. He said other antibiotics should be used only in sick animals, not to boost growth or protect healthy livestock. The European Union has enacted such a ban. Ron Phillips, a spokesman for the Animal Health Institute, said antibiotics generally help keep animals well and food safe. "There is a concerted effort among industry and the government to come up with measures that truly address the resistance problem, but I don't think that outright banning of these products is the best way," he said. Critics of drug use in farm animals say better ventilation, cleaning and other handling changes could improve livestock health with less use of antibiotics. They say a ban would raise the cost of meat only slightly. The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.