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Industrial Pig Farming and the spread of new MRSA "Superbugs"
Thu 12 Mar 2009 12:28pm
Our Pigs, Our Food, Our Health by Nicholas D. Kristof, The New York Times, March 11, 2009
link to the NYTimes article
MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) sometimes arouses terrifying headlines as a “superbug” or “flesh-eating bacteria.” ... A small Dutch study found pig farmers there were 760 times more likely than the general population to carry MRSA (without necessarily showing symptoms), and Scientific American reports that this strain of MRSA has turned up in 12 percent of Dutch retail pork samples.
Now this same strain of MRSA has also been found in the United States. A new study by Tara Smith, a University of Iowa epidemiologist, found that 45 percent of pig farmers she sampled carried MRSA, as did 49 percent of the hogs tested.
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Stearns Farm CSA Community Supported Agriculture Kathy Huckins, Farm Manager Preserving the historic Stearns farm as a sustainable garden while providing locally and naturally grown food in partnership between the land, the farmer, and the community. |
Revision 1. Last edited Thu 12 Mar 2009 12:28pm by TomYelton |
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