The mutant bugs lurking in supermarket chicken
Antibiotics can no longer kill off the bacteria that make us ill
CHICKEN and pork products sold in supermarkets and butchers are carrying dangerous superbugs resistant to antibiotics, an official study reveals.
Bacteria such as E. coli, campylobacter and salmonella have mutated, giving them a resistance to important drugs, the Food Standards Agency found.
It means people who develop food poisoning after coming into contact with these bugs are more difficult to cure.
Alarmingly, some samples of pork mince tested for the Government agency found E. coli that is resistant to a so- called ‘last resort’ antibiotic called colistin.
Colistin is considered extremely important in human medicine because it is the only drug that works on some common human infections.
Experts say the emergence and spread of superbugs, which are known as antimicrobial resistant ( AMR) bacteria, ‘ poses a significant global threat both in terms of public health and economic impact’.
The chief medical officer, Professor Dame Sally Davies, has called on ministers and the farming industry to radically reduce the use of antibiotics, which are also given to sick animals. She said: ‘Antimicrobial resistance poses a catastrophic threat.
‘If we don’t act now, any one of us could go into hospital in 20 years for minor surgery and die because of an ordinary infection that can’t be treated by antibiotics.’ The new study involved 339 samples of raw chicken and 342 samples of raw pork mince from all the major supermarkets and butchers.
Strains of E. coli were found in 165 of the chicken samples – 49 per cent of them. Some 74 of these showed resistance to three or more groups of antibiotics. Ninety-four E. coli samples taken from pork mince were tested and of those, 52 showed multi-drug resistance and two were resistant to the important antibiotic colistin.
Superdrug strains of campylobacter and salmonella were also found in the chicken and pork at lower levels.
The Alliance to Save Our Antibiotics is campaigning to cut the use of the drugs on farms so that they can be saved for use in human medicine.
Its scientific advisor, Coilin Nunan, said the discovery of strains of E. coli that is resistant to colistin in pork mince is particularly alarming. The drug is used on intensive ‘factory’ pig farms in Britain – despite being outlawed in countries such as China because of concerns for human health.
It has also been banned on a voluntary basis by UK poultry farmers. Mr Nunan said: ‘why is the Government allowing a last-resort human antibiotic to be used in animal feed when we know it leads to resistant bacteria on retail meat that can transfer to humans?’
Colistin is used in intensive pig farming mainly to control diarrhoea in piglets caused by early weaning. This problem can be largely avoided by weaning piglets later. However, some farmers want to wean their piglets very young so that the sow can be impregnated again to produce yet more young. Mr Nunan said: ‘How can it be right that a last-resort antibiotic is being undermined just so we can produce pork a bit more cheaply?’ A National Pig Association spokesman said: ‘The UK pig industry has been working extremely hard to minimise its use of antibiotics, to limit the development of AMR.’
A British Poultry Council spokesman said: ‘The poultry meat sector’s drive for excellence in bird health and welfare is delivering responsible use of antibiotics and safeguarding the efficacy of antibiotics.’
The FSA report said: ‘The risk of people developing antimicrobial resistant infections from these foods is very low providing that both chicken and pork is cooked thoroughly.’
The Responsible Use of Medicines in Agriculture Alliance represents the animal medicines industry and argues antibiotics are needed on farms to promote animal welfare.
‘Why is it allowed in animal feed?’