Bacteria species have evolved to produce enzymes which protect them from the antibiotics that the medical community is directing against them. Extended- Spectrum Beta-Lactamase (ESBL) is an enzyme produced by a strain of the E.coli bacteria which protects the bacteria from various antibiotics. The scientific community has been able to detect the enzyme in chickens that have been raised as livestock by agricultural production companies. There is also growing evidence in the scientific community that other bacteria species such as K. pneumonia, Salmonella or Proteus mirabilis can also produce ESBLs-besides E. coli and some others as well.
Scientists are now coming to conclude that antibiotic resistant diseases is a man made problem caused by the increased use of hormones and antibiotics in agricultural food production. In its October 2007 journal, the American Medical Association linked close to 20 thousand deaths in hospitals across the U.S to approximately 100 thousand cases of methicillin- resistant Staphylococcus aureus.
Antibiotics are widely used by livestock and agricultural companies to enhance their food productions. The livestock & agricultural industries make up more than two thirds of the market for antibiotics. The livestock industry is known to routinely add growth hormones and low level antibiotics to the feed of their animals in an effort to prevent disease and promote healthier growth. However unknowingly, this process dramatically increases the chance of possible bacteria mutation which seems to have led to strains that have resistance to the antibiotics that are supposed to treat them. Corporations have a lot at stake in the on going debate between the harm & the benefits of using antibiotics to enhance food production. For their part, corporations have been strongly resistant to FDA efforts to curb the use of antibiotics in the livestock industry and in agricultural food production.
It should be noted that while scientists have found ESBLs in large quantities in chickens that have been raised with antibiotics; on the other hand, no such evidence has been found in chickens that have not been raised with antibiotics. The scientific data shows that it is extremely rare to find ESBLs in chickens that were not raised with antibiotics.
The scientific research on this subject depicts a clear link between the use of contaminated manure in food production and the spread of antibiotic resistant bacteria. A research study in 2007 conducted by the Journal of Environmental Quality in a greenhouse environment concluded that, with prolonged exposure, antibiotics were able to pass from infected animals to tubers and root crops by the contaminated manure of livestock. Moreover, evidence from a study in 2006 which was published in the Journal of Infectious Diseases indicated that bacteria from several people in the study became resistant to the antibiotic Synercid after this group ate chickens that had been raised with antibiotics.
Some may think that buying organic food is the most effective way to deal with this developing health crisis. However, buying organic foods is not altogether effective in preventing the spread of ESBLs as there are very little restrictions in the use of contaminated manure in organic farming. Nevertheless, organic food does tend to be less contaminated overall than non organic agricultural foods. While organic foods do tend to cost more, they also tend to be much better for your health.
As a further precautionary measure, always wash your hands and counter tops thoroughly with soap & water after handling meats. Use vinegar and lemon juice in your meat preparations and make sure to cook your meats thoroughly- to a temperature of at least 180 degrees F. which tends to kill bacteria. Furthermore, read your food labels and insist on agricultural products that have been grown in an environment that is free of pesticides, free of growth hormones and free of antibiotic use. And as much as you are able, buy organic food products.
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Article is written by: Christopher Villar.
My email address is : genb345@gmail.com
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