Superbug in city beef could make you very sick
TIMES NEWS NETWORK 14.04.2018
Chennai: Samples of buffalo meat from Chennai have tested positive for a superbug — methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), a drug-resistant strain of bacterium — that could cause a variety of infections if the tainted beef is not cooked enough, a study shows.
But people who handle such meat are at risk of infections that are hard to treat, and could pass on the bacterium, causing an outbreak.
Of 40 samples of raw meat collected from retail outlets, 29 tested positive for Staphylococcus bacteria and 13 for MRSA, said the study’s author Dr S Wilfred Ruban of Veterinary College, Bangalore. “We picked only a small sample but the danger was clear,” he said of the study, published in scientific journal Buffalo Bulletin.
Staphylococcus aureus settles in the skin and mucous membranes of humans and animals and infects meat when there is poor sanitation in slaughter and processing. There has been no large-scale study on MRSA-infections in meat in the country. “The focus here should be humans and for this we need larger studies on both meat and meat handlers,” Ruban said.
Meat dishes in most Indian cuisines are safe because high heat kills the bacteria but there is the possibility that infections can spread.
“If a cook uses a knife to cut infected meat and then to chop vegetables, the bacteria will get on your plate,” infectious diseases expert Dr V Ramasubramanian said.
TIMES NEWS NETWORK 14.04.2018
Chennai: Samples of buffalo meat from Chennai have tested positive for a superbug — methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), a drug-resistant strain of bacterium — that could cause a variety of infections if the tainted beef is not cooked enough, a study shows.
But people who handle such meat are at risk of infections that are hard to treat, and could pass on the bacterium, causing an outbreak.
Of 40 samples of raw meat collected from retail outlets, 29 tested positive for Staphylococcus bacteria and 13 for MRSA, said the study’s author Dr S Wilfred Ruban of Veterinary College, Bangalore. “We picked only a small sample but the danger was clear,” he said of the study, published in scientific journal Buffalo Bulletin.
Staphylococcus aureus settles in the skin and mucous membranes of humans and animals and infects meat when there is poor sanitation in slaughter and processing. There has been no large-scale study on MRSA-infections in meat in the country. “The focus here should be humans and for this we need larger studies on both meat and meat handlers,” Ruban said.
Meat dishes in most Indian cuisines are safe because high heat kills the bacteria but there is the possibility that infections can spread.
“If a cook uses a knife to cut infected meat and then to chop vegetables, the bacteria will get on your plate,” infectious diseases expert Dr V Ramasubramanian said.
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