Saturday, June 4, 2011

COW MILK INFECTED WITH NEW MRSA STRAIN

NEW STRAIN OF MRSA FOUND IN DAIRY
COW MILK ALSO PRESENT IN HUMANS
http://www.dailyindia.com - A team of scientists has identified a new strain of antibiotic resistant bacteria in the milk of dairy cows, which is found in humans as well.  The methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has a genetic makeup quite different from previous strains identified.  “To find the same new strain in both humans and cows is certainly worrying. However, pasteurization of milk will prevent any risk of infection via the food chain,” said Dr Laura Garc¡a-Alvarez, from University of Cambridge.  “Workers on dairy farms may be at higher risk of carrying MRSA, but we do not yet know if this translates into a higher risk of infection. In the wider UK community, less than 1% of individuals carry MRSA - typically in their noses - without becoming ill,” she added.

During the genome process, the researchers found that the new strain possessed unconventional DNA for MRSA. It has a mecA gene but with only 60% similarity to the original mecA gene.  Unfortunately, this results in molecular tests (which identify MRSA by the presence of the mecA gene) giving a false negative for this strain of MRSA.  “Although there is circumstantial evidence that dairy cows are providing a reservoir of infection, it is still not known for certain if cows are infecting people, or people are infecting cows. This is one of the many things we will be looking into next,” said Dr Mark Holmes, study leader at the University of Cambridge.  The research findings are published in the current issue of the journal The Lancet Infectious Diseases.

A new strain of the superbug MRSA has been found in the milk of British cows and humans, scientists have warned.  The new strain which has been detected in human samples is a bovine type.  Dr Garcia Alvarez said that the discovery of a new strain in both humans and cows is "very worrisome."  People in hospitals and those with compromised immune systems, are among those less able to fight it off this new drug-resistant bacterial strain.  Raising cattle to consume their meat has its consequences, the law of karma - action and reaction - is working. 

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?  
In “Modern Meat,” FRONTLINE, interviewers say:  “Cows tend to produce feces [and] feces is primarily bacteria,” says Glen Morris, a microbiologist at the University of Maryland and a former USDA official. ...  “The new highly industrialized way we produce meat has opened up new ecological homes for a number of bacteria,” says Dr. Robert Tauxe, head of the Centers for Disease Control’s Foodborne Illness Section.  “If we take meat from a thousand different animals and grind that together,” he says, “we’re pooling bacteria from a thousand different animals as well.”  What’s more, there is increasing evidence that the modern meat industry’s widespread use of antibiotics to promote growth and keep livestock healthy may result in the development of bacteria strains that are resistant to antibiotic treatment.

Dr Stephen Knapp (Śrīpad Nandanandana dasa) :
“The Dangers of Meat”
“Modern Meat: A PBS Frontline Documentary”
http://www.stephen-knapp.com/
http://www.stephen-knapp.com/the_dangers_of_meat.htm

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