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Study Suggests Chickens Are Being Infected by 'Human' Bacteria

by mudricky | October 26, 2009 at 01:44 pm

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Scientists from The Roslin Institute in Edinburgh, Scotland have released findings that strains of bacteria, Staphylococcus Aureus (mainly the MRSA sub-type) known in humans has moved onto chickens.

They believe it may have happened, not in that last few years (that's what I expected to read) - but 40 years ago.

They believe the bacteria has spread like it has because of intensive farming and globalisation.

They argue that fewer breeding lines in an industry dominated by multinationals has helped spread bacteria.

The findings are published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

They found that a form of Staphylococcus Aureus - of which MRSA is a sub-type - remained confined to one geographical area in humans, but in chickens it was spread across different continents.

Dr Ross Fitzgerald of The Roslin Institute said: ""Half a century ago chickens were reared for their eggs, with meat regarded as a by-product."

"Now the demand for meat has led to a poultry industry dominated by a few multinational companies which supply a limited number of breeding lines to a global market - thereby promoting the spread of the bacteria around the world."

This was a story that, at first, surprised me but afterwards, when I though about it I was not surprised.

Everything is mass produced these days with very little thought or care.

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smkovalinsky

at 13:52 on October 26th, 2009

Your last sentence says it all. Thanks for posting....

Roy C

at 13:56 on October 26th, 2009

Well, all the major diseases that infect humans are diseases that mutated as they moved back and forth from animal to human to animal to human.

All the diseases that killed a hundred million Indians in the years after Columbus' arrival were part of that.

China has the largest population of farm animals in the world It continues to be the source of these cross mutations and cross infections as it has nearly always been.

mudricky

at 14:04 on October 26th, 2009

That's a good point, there is evidence of this happening over many years.

I would guess with the world travel being as it is now, people travelling all over the world this will only happen more.

Some more information on Staphylococcus Aureus in animals:

It can survive on domesticated animals such as dogs, cats and horses, and can cause bumblefoot in chickens.

It can survive for some hours on dry environmental surfaces, but the importance of the environment in spread of S. aureus is currently debated*.

It can host phages, such as the Panton-Valentine leukocidin, that increase its virulence.

* These new findings will strengthen those claims.