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Antibiotic resistant bacteria in meat
This is Part II of a 1995 about antibiotic resistant bacteria in meat. The report was produced by the Consumer’s Association of Penang (CAP), which found some meat samples containing exceptionally high levels of supergerms.
This article was originally published in The Good Life issue #2, 1995. The entire issue looked at infectious diseases like Aids and drug resistant tuberculoisis,and how dietary and lifestyle factors can weaken our immune system, making us more prone to these diseases. Click here to read Part I of this article on meat with antibiotic resistant bacteria.
We sent our field officers to animal farms and feed supply outlets to investigate. They report that uncontrolled use of antiobiotics in animal feed is still rampant. We managed to buy six different “animal health” products from a feed supply shop. All contain antibiotics which are commonly used to treat infections in humans. These products are to be mixed with water or added to animal feed for the treatment of various types of infections in animals. Five of the products were also recommended for the prevention of infections. How do antibiotics fed to farm animals affect your health? This is what happens... When antibiotics are injected into animals or when animals eat feed containing antibiotics, not all bacteria in the animal’s body may have been killed. Most antibiotics are given to animals at sub-therapeutic doses – in amounts that are too small to kill off all bacteria – as a preventive measure against disease. Because a low dose is used, and with routine use, some bacteria in the animal’s body survive and become antibiotic resistant. When you eat meat from such animals, the antibiotic resistant bacteria in the meat can enter your body if the meat is not cooked thoroughly. Then if you fall ill and the doctor treats you with the same antibiotics, the drugs are no longer effective. That’s not the only effect. The antibiotic resistant bacteria which you take in from the meat can also multiply in your body and transmit the resistance to other bacteria.
Multiple drug-resistance When this happens, bacteria in your body will develop a multiple-drug resistance. Then when you are afflicted with other ailments, other antibiotics will also not work. Bacteria are not easily killed, unless you cook your meat very thoroughly – at a high temperature for a long time. Even then, there is still another problem: antibiotic residues. Residues will be present if the animals are given antibiotics shortly before they were slaughtered for sale. And our latest investigation shows that this is still a common practice today. Residues of some antibiotics, like Carbadox, can cause cancer. In a rare cases, chloramphenicol can produce a reaction such as a plastic anaemia, which is usually fatal. Tetracycline causes teeth staining, sensitivity to light, skin rash and liver troubles. And penicillin residues can cause allergies. Under the Malaysian Food Regulations 1985, meat and milk products must not contain antibiotic residue. Residues can be reduced if farmers stop giving antibiotics for some time before selling off their animals. But our survey indicates that farmers generally do not observe this withdrawal period. One chicken farmer told CAP: “We usually don’t withdraw the use of antibiotics just before sale because this may cause the chickens to become infected. If the chickens are diseased, we may not be able to sell them off.” (2007 Update: I have seen, I Malaysian supermarkets, chicken labelled ARF, meaning "antibiotic residue free").
Are imported meats safer from antibiotic resistant bacteria? Several countries have laws that restrict the use of antibiotics in animal farming, CAP notes in its report. For example:
So is it safe to eat meat imported from these countries? Don’t count on it. The fact that antibiotics are banned in feedstuff does not mean these drugs are totally banned. They can still be given through injections or other means. Similarly, banning the use of antibiotics for growth promotion still means that antibiotics may be used for other purposes. And when some types of antibiotics are banned, farmers simply use other types. Moreover, laws are not always strictly enforced. If you read John Robbin’s Diet for a New America, for example, you will learn that US meat is also highly contaminated with harmful (antibiotic resistant) bacteria. Most farm animals today are no longer raised in farms, but in “factories” that are cramped, filthy and unhygienic. Under such conditions, when one animal falls ill, tens of thousands of others can be infected. These animals cannot survive without antibiotics. |
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