In the US, we give cattle antibiotics because, instead of letting them graze exclusively on grass, we fatten them up on corn in feedlots, which they are not able to handle well. This makes it possible for ranchers to raise more cattle per acre. Feedlot corn also produces the marbling that makes steaks so appealing. But what are the these antibiotics doing to US?
read more
E. coli bacteria is found in food that hasn’t been adequately refrigerated or has been mishandled during preparation, often by people who don’t wash their hands after visiting the bathroom. It gives most people no more than a stomach ache, but can be dangerous for the elderly or people whose immune systems are compromised. This is why health authorities are worried about a type of superbug E. coli that is rapidly spreading in the UK. In August, E. coli was found in meals that were to be served to passengers on British Airways. If this continues to happen, it is inevitable that the antibiotic-resistant version will arrive on our shores.
read more
This fall, like every autumn, we’ll expect to see V-shapedformations of geese in the skies, honking as they fly southfor the winter. Now scientists have discovered thatmigrating geese may be spreading superbugs, those dangerous,antibiotic-resistant bacteria which are usually only found inhospitals.
Canada geese may be spreading bacteria such as E. coli andsalmonella wherever they migrate. CDC researchers spentmonths testing goose feces that dropped from the flyingbirds into lakes and streams in two states, trying to findout if migrating geese can pick up?and redeposit?E. Colibacteria. To their surprise, the feces tested positive forantibiotic-resistantstrains of this bacteria, even though the geese were wildand had not been treated with antibiotics.
read more
Newswise – You should not use antibacterial soaps and cleaningproducts, because they can expose you to high amounts ofchloroform. The chemical triclosan, which is present in manyof these products, reacts with tap water to form thedangerous chemical chloroform. Chloroform has beenclassified by the EPA as a human carcinogen. Also, usingthese products regularly can create superbugs, that build upa resistance to the antibacterial agents in them.
read more