After my post on staph a few weeks back, Joe sent me this article from Salon: Is the way we raise our food giving us MRSA? (MRSA = Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) It’s an interesting article with a slant that I’ve never considered before.

Bacteria typically become resistant to antibiotics through exposure to them. … When it comes to the overuse of antibiotics, even the most profligate of hospitals can’t touch the sheer amount thrown around down on the farm.

Many human viruses were originally animal viruses that evolved to infect humans. HIV is one example and avian flu is one that many have feared would make the leap. E.coli O157:H7 is a similar example in that this acid-resistant strain of E.coli develops in the guts of corn-fed (i.e., improperly fed) cows, is then passed out in the feces, and gets into water supplies which are sprayed on crops or is applied directly in the manure to organic foods. So it makes sense that unnatural farming methods could be further exposing humans to viral/bacterial risks.

That the factory farming methods employed to raise conventional meats could be exactly what is making so many of us sick from super-bugs is just further justification for supporting sustainable agriculture.

Other Stuff You'll Enjoy:
• Superbug Staph Infections
• The Spinach Isn’t Causing the E.Coli
• More E. Coli
• I’ll Take “Feed the Cows Grass for $1000, Alex”
• Antibiotics - To Take or Not To Take?

Tags: antibiotics, CAFO, E.coli, grain-fed, grass-fed, MSRA, staph