New 'superbug' strain spreading in meat, warns study

[Anubis]

25/06/2007 - Retail meat from pigs, chickens and other livestock could be infected with a  "superbug" strain of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), according to a UK study released today.

The prospect of MRSA in the food chain could spark off another consumer reaction against meat products, already suffering from a bad perception due to past outbreaks of bird flu, food-and-mouth disease and bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE).

In the Netherlands, the MRSA strain has been found in 20 per cent of pork, 21 per cent of chicken and 3 per cent of beef on sale to the public, the UK's Soil Association stated in the study.

'This new type of MRSA is spreading like wildfire across Europe, and we know it is transferring from farm animals to humans - with serious health impacts," said Richard Young, a policy adviser to the Soil Association.

Full story at:http://nutraingredients.com/news/ng.asp?n=77618-mrsa-bse-soil-association