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.
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October 18, 2001
By Alice Chang, M.D.
Harvard Medical School
How does this article relate to me?
Antibiotic resistance should be on everyone's mind as we approach the winter, when respiratory infections are common. This article highlights the fact that antibiotic use in animals could be contributing to the growing problem of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The use of antibiotics in animals is alarmingly high, and most often given not to treat infection but to improve the growth of the livestock and prevent illness. These recent studies show that there was antibiotic-resistant bacteria (sometimes resistant to multiple drugs) found in many samples of meat bought from supermarkets.
While bacteria were found in many of the meat samples tested, most will not cause food poisoning because we cook the meat. But it is possible for you to carry these bacteria in your intestinal tract (it is healthy to have a certain amount of bacteria there) and "teach" the other bacteria in your system how to resist the effects of antibiotics. If the resistant bacteria do cause an infection, it can be more difficult to treat.
What changes do I need to make?
While the numbers of resistant bacteria sound scary, you can protect yourself by practicing good cleaning and cooking techniques to prevent food contamination and poisoning. In general, the greatest risks come from leaving food unrefrigerated, which allows the bacteria to grow, or when handling and preparing the food.
Follow these precautions:
- Do not let meat sit or thaw unrefrigerated, and serve food right after cooking.
- When preparing meat, use separate cooking utensils, knives and cutting boards dedicated to meat only. Wash these materials with warm, soapy water after use.
- Make sure all food is cooked thoroughly.
As we head into the winter respiratory-infection season, realize you can help reduce the overuse of antibiotics. Most infections like a head cold or bronchitis are viral. Before you run to the doctor and request antibiotics, try calling your doctor's nurse first to see whether there are some things you can do at home to make yourself feel better. If your doctor does see you and prescribe antibiotics, always take your medications as directed. If you stop early, you can leave some especially resistant bugs alive.
What can I expect in the future?
With this new study information, we will probably see the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ban the use of our best antibiotics in animals. This way, we can ensure that at least the animal bacteria will not be trained to be resistant to our best medicines. In addition, we can hope for measures like the European ban to limit the use of antibiotics in animals only to treat sick animals rather than to improve growth.
