I don’t really like the term “superbugs”, its a bit dramatic for the likes of me with my British stiff upper lip (oh well, better than a lower quivering lip) 
However, superbug is the description given to antibiotic resistant bacteria found in pork in an article published on the website of the Organic Consumers Association. The article refers to a study by public health researchers of the University of Minnesota that found antibiotic resistant bacteria was found in about half of the pigs tested was also found in about 7% of swine veterinarians working with them. One smart observer commented that he would make sure that he would thoroughly cook any veterinarians before eating them.
I would suggest that you read the whole article here.
On another note, pigs have been seen as unclean animals for centuries. Even in biblical times people were advised not to eat the meat of pigs. I hope I don’t offend anybody here, but I believe that the original dictate not to eat pork was nutritional advice for health reasons rather than (as it has become) for religious or spiritual reasons. Just my opinion, I’m not trying to belittle anybodies beliefs.
2 responses so far ↓
Tony // July 14, 2008 at 7:53 am |
Hi Charlie,
pigs and humans have very similar biology, and people can easily catch diseases from pigs. This is the main reason why pork must always be well cooked, as opposed to say beef, from which we can catch far fewer diseases. So any superbugs in pigs (or vets) is indeed a cause for concern.
That said, production of pork also carries a far lower carbon footprint (hoofprint?) than beef, so for those of us not yet willing to become vegetarians but interested in leaving a bit of the planet alive for future generations, pork is a good choice of meat.
charliedw // July 14, 2008 at 1:40 pm |
Good point, however I think that some humans are closer to a pigs biology than others!
Do you have any idea on what the carbon footprint is for production of vets