Resistant staph bacteria passes from swine herds to workers

A University of Iowa study documenting methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in swine and swine workers in the United States shows evidence of transmission from animals to humans who work with them.
 
"Our results show that colonization of swine by MRSA was very common in one of two corporate swine production systems we studied," said Tara Smith, Ph.D., associate professor of epidemiology in the UI College of Public Health and lead author of the study.
 
Prior to the study, there was only knowledge of the prevalence of this bacterium in locations including the Netherlands and Canada. MRSA is resistant to a wide array of antibiotics, and this University of Iowa study linked MRSA with an estimated 94,000 infections and over 18,000 deaths in the United States in 2005, based on data taken from several metropolitan areas. Full story: University of Iowa News Services

 
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