https://scitechdaily.com/warning-study-finds-superbugs-lurking-in-40-of-supermarket-meat/ By EUROPEAN SOCIETY OF CLINICAL MICROBIOLOGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES APRIL 17, 2023
A Spanish study found 40% of supermarket meat samples contained multidrug-resistant E. coli strains, highlighting the need for regular assessments of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in meat products and emphasizing farm-to-fork interventions and proper food handling practices to reduce risks.
“Superbugs” present in chicken, turkey, beef and pork, Spanish study finds.
Multidrug-resistant E. coli were found in 40% of supermarket meat samples tested in a Spanish study. E. coli strains capable of causing severe infections in people were also highly prevalent, this year’s European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases (ECCMID 2023, Copenhagen, April 15-18) will hear.
Multidrug-resistant bacteria can spread from animals to humans through the food chain but, due to commercial sensitivities, data on levels of antibiotic-resistant bugs in food is not made widely available.
They analysed 100 meat products (25 each of chicken, turkey, beef and pork) chosen at random from supermarkets in Oviedo during 2020.
The majority (73%) of the meat products contained levels of E. coli that were within food safety limits.
Despite this, almost half (49%) contained multidrug-resistant and/or potentially pathogenic E. coli.
Also pneumonia pathogen was found along with extra-intestinal pathogens which can cause problems outside of the gut, like Urinary Track Infections (UTIs)