021213 High Bacteria In Poultry Raises Alarm

USA TODAY - In two studies of chickens sold in food markets nationwide, almost half of those tested were contaminated with bacteria that can pose serious health risks to humans.

And the studies, released by Consumer Reports and the Sierra Club, found that up to 90% of the bacteria are resistant to common antibiotics.

''Poultry products frequently are contaminated with bacteria that can cause food-borne illness, and often times those bacteria are resistant to the very antibiotics that doctors rely upon to treat them,'' says the Sierra Club's Ed Hopkins, which jointly commissioned its study with the Institute for Agriculture & Trade Policy.

''That's a serious problem, because it means the first drug a doctor gives you may not work,'' Consumer Reports' R. David Pittle says. You're going to stay sicker longer.''

Consumer Reports tested 484 fresh, store-bought chickens from 25 cities and found that 49% were contaminated with either campylobacter or salmonella or both. Of the 155 campylobacter-tainted chickens, 90% were resistant to one or more antibiotics. Of the 58 salmonella-tainted chickens, 34% were resistant to one or more antibiotics.

Of the 200 fresh whole chickens the Sierra Club purchased in Des Moines and Minneapolis, 18% were infected with salmonella, as was 45% of the ground turkey. Almost 6% of the salmonella in the chickens was antibiotic-resistant, as was 62% of the ground turkey. Of 100 of the chickens tested, 95 were infected with campylobacter, 62% of which were resistant to at least one antibiotic.

''We've been reporting similar numbers for several years now,'' says Stephen Sundlof, director of the Food and Drug Administration's Center for Veterinary Medicine, which regulates the introduction of antibiotics for animal use but does not regulate use or dosage.

Campylobacteriosis and salmonella can cause diarrhea, fever, abdominal cramps and vomiting. The Centers for Disease Control estimates that there are 30,000 to 40,000 cases each of salmonella and campylobacteriosis each year in the USA, with as many as 100 deaths from campylobacter and 580 from salmonella, says Robert Tauxe, chief of the food-borne and diarrhea diseases branch.

Bacteria in poultry become antibiotic-resistant either through high doses of antibiotics used to treat disease outbreaks or low ''sub-therapeutic'' doses given to make the poultry grow faster.

The Union of Concerned Scientists estimates 70% of all antibiotics in the USA are fed to pigs, poultry and cattle for reasons other than treating disease.

Richard Lobb of the National Chicken Council says the poultry industry has reduced the use of antibiotics and is now judicious in their use. He says antibiotic resistance also is caused by human overuse and by patients not finishing prescriptions.

However, Tauxe says, ''the most commonly identified source of resistant infections is poultry.''

The reports call on poultry producers to reduce overall antibiotic use and for better government oversight of antibiotic use in animals.

RETURN TO HOME PAGE

E-mail: sflanagan@sprintmail.com