A variant of the MRSA superbug has been found in meat produced from British pigs.
The Guardian, working in conjunction with the Bureau of Investigative Journalism (BIJ) revealed test findings that showed pork products sold at Asda and Sainsbury’s were contaminated with a version of the superbug, believed to be MRSA CC398.
Tests on a sample of 97 UK-produced pork products from supermarkets show that three of those were found to be contaminated.
The findings raise concerns that the UK could be on the verge of another food scandal, as work done by the newspaper also revealed a loophole in import regulations is leaving an open door for MRSA CC398-infected live pigs from countries such as Denmark, where the disease is rife.
(Photo illustration by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
As described in The Guardian, MRSA CC398 is a potentially deadly bacteria which can be resistant to even the strongest antibiotics. Although less harmful to humans than the MRSA bug that kills about 300 people in hospitals in England and Wales each year, MRSA CC398 can causes unpleasant persistent infections, as well as seriously harm those already suffering from illness.
People can contract MRSA CC398 from infected meat, and from infected animals. It can be killed by thorough cooking, like with many food based germs.
Currently, there is no screening programme for MRSA CC398 on British farms.
Prof Erik Millstone of Sussex University told The Guardian that the trouble is in part to do with the emergence of antibiotic-resistant superbugs from agriculture, something he termed as “a huge threat to human health”.
Millstone anticipated that the government would downplay this risk but warned: “While the [government] tries its customary tactics of blaming the victim, it won’t work.”
As The Guardian explains, at time of writing, it is not possible to say whether these products originally came from imported pigs, or whether UK pig herds have been infected through imports.
It is believed that imports are most most likely agent for spreading the disease, as the UK’s pork production has remained relatively free from MRSA CC398 until now
