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The truth about milk
“Raw” milk proponent and dairyman Mark McAfee sheds light on pasteurization, the benefits of consuming unadulterated food, and the war on bacteria.By Loren Muldowney
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Mark McAfee is owner of Organic Pastures Dairy Co. (www.organicpastures.com) in Fresno, California. His high-energy talk February 6 was entitled “Raw Milk: Mother Nature's Inconvenient Truth.” “Raw milk” is milk in its natural state, McAfee explained, as it comes from the cow, without heat treatment or pasteurization. Pasteurization is used to extend shelf life and to immobilize certain bacteria, he said, and public health authorities generally appear convinced that this process is highly desirable. McAfee's overarching theme can be summarized as the coexistence of people and milk and bacteria. Even when produced under the most sanitary conditions, he said, it is normal for milk to contain some bacteria, and human societies have been coexisting and benefiting from these bacteria in the milk for thousands of years. Fermented milks are and have been important foods in many cultures for their nutrient value, McAfee informed the crowd, for their superior digestibility, and for the preservation that fermentation, a bacterial process, provides. Today products are marketed as containing “probiotics,” as if this is something brand new. Of course, McAfee said, various active bacteria have always been in these foods—only the standardization and taxonomy are new. Some of what he termed “Mother Nature’s truths about bacteria” follow. Bacteria...
It’s no small wonder, then, that McAfee calls the human being "Bacterio sapiens” and suggests that public obsession with killing bacteria misdirects efforts at improving public health because relatively few bacteria are pathogenic. By constantly sterilizing and pasteurizing and disinfecting, he said, we tip the balance in favor of the pathogen. Campylobacter has always been found in the environment but only relatively recently has it been called a “pathogen.” What changed, he asked, and is it possible that reducing the microbial biodiversity of the human body has created more disease than it has prevented?
Raw milk is another of Mother Nature’s truths, McAfee asserted. Raw milk is "new" only in the sense that it used to just be called "milk," without the adjective implying that there is something unusual about it—pasteurization is what’s relatively new. In American cities in the early 1900s, pasteurization permitted the safe use of poor quality milk by destroying pathogens introduced by its production method. That’s a plus if you need to use poor quality milk, McAfee said. But milk has always been the first food of newborn mammals so how could it be intrinsically hazardous? Human societies developed and prospered upon (raw) milk usually milk of ruminant species adapted to living on grass due to the bacteria in their gut. Grasslands, he said—provided that we respect the appropriate stocking density—are a wonderful, low energy, sustainable ecosystem. “When mothers nurse their babies, do we make a point of saying that the babies are drinking ‘raw” milk,’” McAfee asked rhetorically. Raw milk is not a single substance, he said, stressing that it is important to distinguish “raw milk” intended for direct consumption from “raw milk” intended for further processing. The former has been variously called “physicians milk,” “babies milk” and “certified milk." Milk intended for direct consumption should meet higher standards of production, he said, beginning with the genetics, feeding, bedding and housing of the cows. McAfee uses rotational grazing of well-managed pastures and keeps his cows mostly outdoors, on a diverse forage ecosystem. He believes pasture-fed cattle do not have the acidified rumen of the grain-fed industrial dairy cow so they are less susceptible to developing acid-tolerant gut bacteria. Without antibiotic use, McAfee said, there is no problem with evolution of antibiotic resistance. Conjugated linoleic acids are highest in milk from pasture-fed cows, and the vitamins, natural fats and enzymes are all intact. According to McAfee, it is difficult to get at the truth because so much research is little more than advertising—self-interested and commercial. Stories offered by those who have been helped by taking charge of their own health are largely dismissed as "anecdotal." But if you take a big collection of anecdotes and add statistical analysis, you have a study, said McAfee. He believes this kind of research would actually benefit the public so it is appropriate that the National Institute of Health or other public agency should fund such work. Unfortunately, most of this kind of preventative health research remains unstudied for lack of funding.
Many anecdotes about raw milk involve people reporting that chronic diseases such as arthritis, Crohn’s disease, asthma, ulcers, irritable bowel syndrome or chronic ear infections are eliminated by a change to drinking raw milk. These diseases are lumped under the heading "autoimmune problems," McAfee said, and they are generally unexplained and uncured by modern, "Western" medicine. McAfee shared one such anecdote about Kimeli, a Maasai tribesman from east Africa who came to the United States to study at Stanford University. Kimeli grew up drinking milk (known in the U.S. as "raw milk"), but after arriving in the states got sicker and sicker and was diagnosed with severe lactose intolerance and Crohn's disease. Ultimately it was recommended that part of his colon be removed. He resisted this idea and began to drink "raw milk" from Organic Pastures dairy. His lactose intolerance somehow did not apply to this milk. For the better part of a year he drank a daily half gallon of raw whole milk. Kimeli, McAfee said, remains convinced that this food is what allowed his damaged insides to heal. McAfee advised the audience that it is illegal to say that anything other than a recognized pharmaceutical product can cure a disease and reports that he was fined several thousand dollars for putting such customer testimonials (anecdotes) on his business website. (Presumably, private citizens are still allowed to share their own stories provided that the anecdotes do not appear on commercial websites.) McAfee's take-home message is that people can educate themselves directly and make health choices without the intervention of so-called “experts.” An informed consumer, he said, is always his best customer. Loren Muldowney is holds a bachelor's degree in biochemistry and a master's degree in soils and water from Rutgers University, where she is continuing studies in sustainable agriculture. Her backyard is home to nine compost units, organic gardens, and is a certified wildlife habitat. May 15, 2008 |
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Sheehan
Richard,
John Sheehan is not a doctor. He is a lawyer that works for the FDA and hates raw milk. It is his job to hate raw milk. He refused to attend any meetings that discusses raw milk. He refuses to comment on raw milk to the media except to say that drinking raw milk is playing Russian Roulette with your health. He is a huge backer and supporter of the NCIMS and Big Pastuerized Dairy organizations.
It is very interesting to note that the last deaths from milk were from pastuerized milk in MA that killed three in 2007 at Whittier Farms and the FDA did nothing about it...no fines nada!!
In CA 65,000 people drink raw milk everyweek that they can buy from 400 stores state wide.....no one is dying. Everyone is screaming for more. It heals and prevents asthma. It cures IBS and allergies like no other food on earth.
As for raw milk being consumered by people....if you were denied being able to go a store filled with American empty food and you were about to starve...you would pray for an animal that would graze your front lawn and make something you eat from it.
You forget our American history....every pilgrim that landed in America died or went back to England prior to the arrival of the blessed cows and their four stomachs that could make human food from grass. Us humans would starve without cows or goats. The American indians did not drink milk and neither did the eskimos...but they ate the elements found in raw milk. Including lots of raw fats, enzymes, and beneficial bacteria. These things are missing in the American diet....now we are sick as hell and dying like flies from the side effects of FDA drugs intended to treat our signs and symptoms of our illnesses.But rarely treat the real illness at all.
Give this some thought. Raw milk drinkers are robustly healthy.
Mark McAfee
Founder
Organic Pastures Dairy
Fresno CA
Supplier to 65,000 people in CA that love raw milk each week.
Great point you have there
I guess pasteurization is to help to eliminate pathogenic bacterias not from the milk itself, but from contaminated milk during the process. Not just cow milk, in Indonesai Goat's milk is very popular as some doctors say it has low cholesterol content.
Advocating raw milk in Norway
Dear Lars Hektoen, and others
Advocating raw milk in Norway should not be very difficult. In fact several groups, like Norsk Gardsost (Norwegian farmstead cheese organization), Norsk Småbrukarlag (Norwegian small farmers organization) and OIKOS (Organization for organic producers and consumers) has done a very good job convincing the health authorities that selling raw milk should be legalized. So good in fact, that there are new regulations waiting to be applied by the Health department, making in legal to sell unpasteurized milk under certain criteria.
The staphylococci problem Hektoen refers to, has to do with staphylococci strains developing resistance to certain desinfectants. Which use include treatment of mastitis. Thus it has little to do with the safety of raw milk. The one staphylococci posing a health risk, is the staph. aureus, which is one of the most important to be aware of in raw cheese and milk production. These bacteria will in higher levels, and at the right temperature (cheese making temp.) produce a toxin which might give diarrea and vomiting. Amount of toxins is a result of the initial amount in the milk, temperature, and time. Staph. aur. does not grow in temperatures below 6-8 C. Optimum growth from 33-37C. Levels of staph. aur. will, on such a farm, be tested regularly, and there are several good ways of dealing with it. (Not desinfectants)
no kidding......?
let's not forget what comes out of our mouths.......
Ehm.. Raw Milk = Straight Teeth?
How exactly are we claiming that straight teeth are the product of drinking raw milk? I am all for raw milk and not tampering with bacteria and processing milk, but I think that claim is a wee bit out there.
What a waste
We'll just because we don't suck it directly from the cow doesn't mean it wasn't a food created by god for humane consumption. Do you process your tofu or does it just fall onto your plate that way?
My point is most any food could be considered non essential but I'm willing to bet you eat far more garbage than God ever intended you too... At least raw milk is healthy!!
what a joke
Milk in any state is meant for the cows CALF. Would we suck on the cows udders to consume that milk? absolutely not! Why is it okay to drink it just because some machine or man milked the cow for us? It's not. Humans do NOT need milk after infancy, nor does any other animal. That is why we don't suck on our mothers breasts into our 20's and 30's and so on. We don't need it and we surely do not need milk from another species meant for a developing calf. You people are sick really.
a-1 a-2 milk
Check this out
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/07/09/The-Devil-...
Raw Milk Only If You Know The Cow
Pasteurized milk is at least a definable process, one which can be monitored and controlled and you know what you get. Even though I am a proponent of raw milk (having grown up on a diary farm) it concerns me that raw could also be downright dangerous due to the lack control and the possibility that it may be harboring a host of disease-causing organisms. Unless I have met the cow it comes from, I tread with caution.
Rodale institute
I believe we will not extend our life span until we re engineer the 3 things that kill us. Air, Food and water.
I suspect the "war on
I suspect the "war on bacteria" may have a lot to do with the epidemic rise in food allergies and auto-immune diseases. It's quite plausible that as the bodies natural defenses have nothing to fight, they turn on themselves. And this also says nothing of weakening the immune system in general. Man has not evolved to live in a bacteria free environment, and trying to make is so is having bad consequences.
This is a great resource for
This is a great resource for people who need information regarding the milk they get. Rodale should come up with more informative articles like this for children in school.
reply
Many people claim that after reducing or eliminating their consumption of cows’ milk, they saw an improvement in fatigue, digestive problems, joint pains, skin conditions, mental fog, and a variety of other conditions.
Raw Milk
After reading your post about India and raw milk to be used for sacred procedures for GOD...as a person of faith I have been taught that our bodies are the temple for the Holy Spirit so shouldn't we only put into our body the best foods. If God created us then shouldn't we only put in our bodies what HE has made for us. The best of all foods are in their natural state. We see that in whole grains, raw fruits and vegetables, raw honey and raw milk. Blessings to you.
delectable, healthful raw milk
I am so lucky to have discovered raw milk 2 years ago and I have been drinking it ever since. I am in my 30's and I have had very severe asthma since I was a toddler. I used to take a steroidal inhaler (Advair) every single day because I was told that I would have to take it daily for the rest of my life by my doctors. I have not touched my Advair inhaler in over a year - I am so happy to say that I am completely drug-free! It is a sheer miracle and is something I never would have expected to happen. I thought I would be suffering with terrible asthma for the rest of my life. I do also attribute the improvement of my asthma to eating a 75% raw food diet as well in addition to the raw milk. Raw milk is so delicious - I cannot even THINK about touching regular factory-farmed ultra-pasterized milk. When I first tried raw milk 2 years ago, I actually was terrified because of all the fear-mongering propaganda by Big Dairy. Now I have been drinking raw milk for 2 years and I am healthier than I have ever been in my life. I used to have to drive over an hour to a farm to get raw milk, but as of a few months ago, a farm 15 minutes away from me started selling raw milk - dream come true! Raw milk from grass-fed, naturally raised cows is one of the most nutritious and delicious foods on this earth. Also, I am not saying that anyone with asthma can just throw out their inhalers after their first taste of raw milk. You cannot do that. Keep your inhalers on hand while you switch to a new diet of raw milk and other raw foods - raw veggies, raw fruits (there's so many delish recipes - check out the many raw food sites out there and many raw food books like Carol Alt's raw food books or Natalia Rose). You must give your body time to heal itself. You will see your asthma improving and you can gradually get off of your inhalers. Also - next time you see a commercial for Advair inhaler, pay attention to the end of it when they actually say, "may increase the risk of asthma-related death." Just in case you need to know my rationale for wanting to heal my asthma naturally instead of just masking symptoms with pharmaceuticals!
unpasturized milk
Hi, I've been drinking fresh milk from a very small herd (unmixed) for about 4 months. It seems to have helped reduce the arthritis in my knees and I noticed a few days ago I don't have all that mucus in my mouth that I used to always have! Bueno! donM
Buffalo vs Cow
In my personal experience, Buffalo milk is heavier and greasier, whereas cows milk is lighter and sweeter.
I have also heard rumors that Buffalo milk makes a person physically very strong, but not a very good BRAIN food. Also, that Buffalo milk increases lust.
On the contrary, cows milk is better brain food and is more sattvik.
Raw Milk
Could you elaborate on this post, "In INDIA the raw milk only should be used in all sacred procedures for GOD. If it is boiled, it is deemed to be unfit for God, then why we humans think so. Now a days pasteurized milk is the standard in urban."
I am not sure what you mean when you say, "it is deemed unfit for God, then why we humans think so...."
Are you saying that we should drink raw milk also? Is there any scripture reference that gives any verse about raw milk?
I have done my own personal experiments on my own body and of my pets. But if there is some sastra that gives more information, I would like to know. This is a very interesting topic.
FDA report seriously flawed. See rebuttal with references.
http://www.realmilk.com/documents/SheehanPowerPointResponse.pdf
If you are going to read the FDA document, be sure to read the slide-by-slide response from the Weston A. Price Foundation. It shows the dubious, manipulated science and bias behind the FDA's claims about raw milk. The response is well-referenced.
How can I trust the FDA? For years they claimed that children's cold medicines were safe and have recently come out to say they are not. The good thing is that since I've been giving raw milk to my 3 children they have had no illness of any kind and we haven't needed those medicines anyway!
wants more clearifications
Nepalease people likes to drink buffallos milk than cow milk.would you please make me known the differances in its qualitative value in these tow milks.
bhusalpurna@yahoo.com
Raw milk is sacred
In INDIA the raw milk only should be used in all sacred procedures for GOD. If it is boiled, it is deemed to be unfit for God, then why we humans think so. Now a days pasteurized milk is the standard in urban.
Russian Roulette
Take a few minutes, read the slides and documentation by Dr. John Sheehan and then lets discuss facts.
Don't kill your family.
The largest cause of foodbourne illness is in the home.
Good Luck and may your families be safe.
Richard
http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~ear/milksafe/milksa1.htm
we are what we eat
First, we truly are what we eat. Now, lets look at our population. Enough said.
I grew up on raw milk also. I grew up in a small europian country. Once we got the milk home, we quickly brought it to a boiling point and turned it off, cooled it and used it that same day. Common sense goes a long way. Small farmers can and do controll their smaller facility much easier than large facilities - this is not a new knowledge. Bigger is NOT better!!! I would not buy raw milk from a large farmer.
But to live in a country where you cannot go and purchase raw milk because elswhere some farmer got his/her facility contaminated is unfair. And to have a gov. that feels they have the right to regulate what I eat, drink, how much of it, and when, etc., is not the way.
Common sense is much superior to any "protective" measure any gov. can think of and implement. It is up to us, individuals, to educate our young to be safe. Unfortunately, even this most basic activity has been taken away from us by our ever more intrusive gov. - America, Inc.
It is actually quite sad what has happened to our basic right to feed our selves.
Thank you. :-)
raw milk against the law...
Hi! I live in North Carolina and it is illegal to sell raw milk to consumers like myself who are conscious of our health and aware of our rights to eat what we feel fit. Farmers in this state are actually afraid to even talk to you about raw milk, dismiss my questions quickly for fears that I may be trying to trap them. It feels like I live in a totalitarian regime when it comes to feeding my self. it is very uncomfortable for me too. Yet, I don't drink milk for the sole reason that it is not raw. I would be greatful for any help on how to connect with farmers safely and effectively.
good milk-farm milk-unadulterated milk-realmilk-
go here dude;
http://www.realmilk.com/where.html
later
b
Check out the RealMilk website
There are plenty of raw dairy farmers listed in MI; here is the Michigan link on the RealMilk.com website. Or, contact a local Weston A. Price chapter leader to find out sources.
raw milk
Hi
I am from Macomb county in michigan. I would love to get some raw milk but I don't know how to get a hold of some in this area.
good teeth
Guess what? I have FIVE kids, and the first 3 had processed milk; their teeth were crooked. The last 2 drink raw milk, and their teeth are NOT crooked. Raw milk IS the differing factor--both my husband and I have crooked teeth.
Re the "weekly outbreaks"--where do you get your info from? True, raw milk is often BLAMED, but e.g. the outbreak in WI some years ago, was in reality from a certain restaurant. SOME of their customers got sick, who also used raw milk--but what about the ones who didn't drink raw milk? Why were they not counted? It is convenient to blame the raw milk, esp. since there are vested interests to be protected.
I keep my milk sometimes for 10 days, with no problems at all, not even getting sour. Raw milk ferments, (sours), but processed milk ROTS, and can't be kept more than a few days.
I suggest you read, "The Untold Story of Milk"
Wow, I'm not sure where you
Wow, I'm not sure where you are getting your information, but it is incredibly rare to get any type of illness or infection from certified raw milk dairies. Miscarriages, harmful bacterial infections, etc. are much more prominent from man's tinkering with toxic chemicals, pesticides, herbicides, antibiotics, etc. Also, of course genetics play a role in a child's palate and teeth spacing, but it is the FOODS that child consumes which allow the best traits to reveal themselves. For more information I suggest you read Weston A. Price Nutrition and Physical Degeneration. There are amazingly graphic photos of children's teeth and palate raised on their native whole food diet, including raw milk, compared to those who were exposed to western foods high in sugar & contaminants and low in nutrient density. It's definitely up to each individual whether or not they want to consume raw milk, but that should be a choice made available to those concerned about the health and well being of the planet, the animals providing nourishment, themselves and their loved ones.
raw milk
When I lived in Germany, many years ago, we got our milk straight from milking every morning. At most it had been refrigerated for a short time. If we needed more, we took a bucket down to the dairy barn and got filled up from the refrigerated tank. I never heard of illness related to the milk and when I moved back to the US, the milk tasted horrible and very thin. I'm glad to see some effort to bring back untreated milk here.
Well written article!
We started drinking raw milk (albeit goat milk) 5 years ago. I am a wellness consultant, and in every seminar I conduct I point out the problems with drinking milk in any form other than raw. We have our own little herd of dairy goats, and we share our milk with people who are also concerned about what 'grocery store milk' is doing to our society. Sadly, milk is just one component. I agree with the poster about sustainable organic living. We need to take a hard look at the health issues that our culture is dealing with, and then examine the contents of the foods we eat and beverages we drink.
Consuming raw milk is definitely a step in the right direction! Our families' health is so much improved by making dietary changes and supplementing with the nutrients that are missing.
Dee Dee
codeoflife@bellsouth.net
Raw Milk
I was raised on raw milk, both goat and cow. However, I drank that milk within a day or two of it coming from the cow and had only myself to blame if something went wrong. It seems that almost weekly there is a report of a raw milk dairy that experiences an outbreak of harmful bacterial contamination that results in seriously sick people, abortions and ocassionally death. How can you say that this risk is reasonable? There is no question that some bacteria is helpful, but glossing over the risks of e. coli and other harmful bacteria is not in the public interest.
It seems that everyone is a proponent of raw milk until their child gets sick or their pregancy is lost because they get sick. Then they are the first to sue the farmer for his perceived shortcomings. The fact is that one can do everything possible to avoid contamination but pastuerization is the only sure way to provide clean milk. In 99% of cases we are just processing clean milk. But that 1% of milk that needs to be pastuerized could be saving a life.
Also, in response to the parents of the 4-yr-old with a chiropractor - do you really feel that raw milk contributed to your child's perfect palate and teeth spacing?? Congrats on good genetics, but stop reaching for a miracle food here.
Raw Millk
Mark McAfee is America's leading spokesman for nourishing raw milk (as well as the kind of farming system that it takes to properly support a raw milk dairy)!
Anyone (in the several states) who takes up the task of farming nutrient-dense nourishing foods in an ecologically sustainable manner is an American hero IMO! I am most grateful to do all that I can to support initiatives like this. One of the ways I have for that is through a very educational DVD called: "Raw Milk: The Whole Truth" that features Mark McAfee and Dr. Dale Jacobson, DC. I am very proud to be the executive producer if this broadcast-quality program that is now available as a top quality DVD.
Cheers to Raw Milk!
Chef Jem
Executive Producer:
"The Raw Milk Controversy: Fact & Fiction"
AKA "Raw Milk: The Whole Truth"
See four video clips at:
http://www.youtube.com/profile_videos?user=ChefJem33&p=r
In the row of 4 icons the 4th is part 1, the 2nd is prt. 2, the 1st is prt. 3
and the 3rd is prt. 1 of chapter 2.
Place your orders through PayPal and use this e-mail location:
chef@thesetruths.com
Total cost is $20.00 per DVD (includes all S&H and any PalPal fees).
Buy 3 at the "Wholesale" rate of $14.00 ea. (plus just the S&H).
Buy 5 or more at the "distributor" rate of $10.00 ea. (+ S&H).
Contact Chef Jem for additional information.
http://chefjem.stumbleupon.com/
http://rawmilkcontroversy.weebly.com/
http://curezone.com/blogs/f.asp?f=1452
http://yoursovereignhealth.blogspot.com/
Been drinking it raw since 2002
My family has been enjoying raw milk for years. Prior to finding out about raw milk, we simply did not buy milk. My four year old son, has only had raw milk (first his mom's and now a cow's). His dentist has remarked on the nice shape of his palatte and teeth spacing. (Although his chiropractor is concerned that the roots of his teeth might be too strong and make it hard for him when he loses his baby teeth).
If you ever get a chance to see Mark McAfee speak, don't let the opportuniy pass you by!
Daniel Corrigan
Body Ecology Coach
blog.corganic.com
thanks
Dear friends,
I am a farmer from Nepal and interested in organic farming and cattle farming,
Dear fariends, Here in nepal its very dificult to develop pasture farming sytem but in our area we can develop grass based organic diary farming.So i request all my friends working in this fiels please suggest me in this area.For your kind help I will always be thank ful to you all. yours
Please I request all dairy farm friends to suggest me fo grasse based organic farming sytem.
Please provide me about the grass based organic farming systb
bhusalpurna@yahoo.com
Please let
Milk allergies/ disease states
I am a family nurse practitioner and at a recent conference was introduced to the problem of milk allergies and potential disease states caused by milk. Specifically very strong evidence links milk to Type one diabetes and mental health problems. Careful epidemiological studies has identified a casine protein called A-1 that is the reported problem. It seems that the holstein breed has a high precentage of cows that produce A-1 milk. All other mammals do not have this protein. African cattle and most of the French breeds are very low in A-1. Cheese and fermented milk products do not seem to have very much A-1 but dried milk and milk formulas for childern do contain the problem casine. Hyvee stores in the midwest are selling a A-1 free milk called A-2 milk. There is a dairy in Nebraska that is made up of all A-1 free cows. This type milk is also available in New Zealand and Australia. The established big milk industry is very interested in keeping this whole problem out of the public eye but research is ongoing. Google A-2 milk it is facinating.
Raw milk
Dear Sirs,
Advocating raw milk here in Norway is hard du to research as copied below. Our health authorities also are concered that tuberculosis may re-emerge. This desease was as good as extinct, but is now again here. likely as a result of increased immigration from 3rd world countries.
Any comments to the staphylococci problem described below?
Yours sincerely
Lars Hektoen
the link is: http://www.matforsk.no/web/publma.nsf/acd4e0df0fc254f4c1256de800389f25/d...
Extract:
Widespread distribution of disinfectant resistance genes among staphylococci of bovine and caprine origin in Norway.
Bjorland, J., Steinum, T., Kvitle, B., Waage, S., Sunde, M., Heir, E. 2005. Widespread distribution of disinfectant resistance genes among staphylococci of bovine and caprine origin in Norway. Journal of Clinical Microbiology, Vol 43, 9, pp 4363-4368.
Abstract
We demonstrated here a widespread distribution of genes mediating efflux-based resistance to quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs) in staphylococci from unpasteurized milk of 127 dairy cattle herds and 70 dairy goat herds. QAC resistance genes were identified in 21% of the cattle herds (qacA/B, smr, qacG, qacJ) and in 10% of the goat herds (qacA/B, smr). Further examination of 42 QAC-resistant bovine and caprine strains revealed the following genes: qacA/B (12 strains) was present in four different species of coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS); smr (27 strains) was detected in eight different CoNS species and in Staphylococcus aureus on a previously reported plasmid (pNVH99); qacG (two strains) was detected on two plasmids (pST94-like) in Staphylococcus cohnii and Staphylococcus warneri, and qacJ (two strains) was found in Staphylococcus hominis and Staphylococcus delphini on a plasmid (pNVH01) previously found in equine staphylococci. Isolation of indistinguishable pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) CoNS types from tank milk and mammary quarter milk samples in a dairy cattle herd suggested that these QAC-resistant staphylococci were of intramammary origin. Indistinguishable or closely related PFGE types of bovine QAC-resistant CoNS were observed in different herds. One particular bovine S. warneri PFGE type was isolated repeatedly from samples collected during a 30-month period in a herd, showing long-term persistence. In conclusion, it seems that the widespread distribution of staphylococci carrying QAC resistance genes in Norwegian dairy cattle and goat herds is the result of both the intra- and interspecies spread of QAC resistance plasmids and the clonal spread of QAC-resistant strains.
Bacterio Sapiens
This is a really interesting article and I am very glad to see the point being made about the millenia-long co-existence of humans and bacteria.
It is interesting that in many traditional societies a certain type of bacteria would be passed down with the family, whether as kim chi in Korea, where each family used to have it's own strain, or as sour-dough bread starters which used to be given by mother to daughter when she married. It is a very interesting topic and very little discussed, perhaps certain family genetics and bacteria formed an optimal relationship over the years in this manner, which has now been lost for most of us.
I felt the full importance of bacteria in the gut when I contracted typhoid in Burma a couple years ago and had to take a serious anti-biotic which wiped out all my intestinal flora. It took me more than a year to rebuild it and during that time I noticed just how much lacking these friendly bacteria affected me physically and emotionally.
Can't wait to read the rest of the series.
Raw Milk
This is the second article I have read by the Rodale institute in as many weeks and both were of such value I found it important to include in our curriculum with our children. Thank you for reporting so well on topics so timely and important to our health!
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