Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Johns Hopkins University and others have found drug-resistant bacteria in the noses of workers in commercial livestock facilities, but not in those working with antibiotic-free livestock.
Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Johns Hopkins University and others have found drug-resistant bacteria in the noses of workers in commercial livestock facilities, but not in those working with antibiotic-free livestock. The findings raise concerns about the use of antibiotics in industrial livestock operations and whether the practice might make it easier for antibiotic-resistant organisms to make their way into the larger community.
The study, “Livestock-associated methicillin and multidrug resistant Staphylococcus aureus is present among industrial, not antibiotic-free livestock operation workers in North Carolina” was published July 2 by the journal PLOS ONE. Co-authors included Steve Wing and Jessica Rinsky in UNC’s Gillings School of Global Public Health.
Antibiotic-resistant bacteria can cause a wide range of medical problems in humans, from minor infections to life-threatening illnesses. Their resistance to antibiotics makes them difficult to treat. The study confirms earlier studies in Iowa.
UNC News Services contact: Kathy Neal, (919) 962-8596, kcneal@unc.edu