Claim MRSA Found in Supermarkets

August 12, 2009

The “superbugs” are here and they are in the supermarket meat aisle. According to the New York Times, scientists discovered MRSA, an antibiotic-resistant staph infection, in supermarket pork in Louisiana and Washington D.C. Meanwhile, a brand new strain of MRSA was found earlier this year in US pigs (and pig farmers), raising fears of even more virulent, possibly deadly, strains arising soon.

The cause of this explosion of superbugs in livestock is clear — the routine administration of antibiotics to healthy animals in factory farms.

In response to this crisis, Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-NY) has again introduced into the House of Representatives the Preservation of Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act. PAMTA would restrict the use of sub-therapeutic doses of entire classes of antibiotics in farm animals and has the support of public health officials and agricultural experts alike.