Last week, the Wall Street Journal reported that an antibiotic-resistant bacteria has been found in pigs, pork products, and even veterinarians .

This report raises concerns that these 'superbugs' might eventually infect farm workers or people who eat pork.

Public health researchers at the University of Minnesota found the antibiotic-resistant bacteria in over 7% of 113 veterinarians who work with swine. Researchers at the University of Iowa found the same bacteria in almost half of pigs tested. The most concerning data was reported by researchers at the Ontario Veterinary College, who found the superbugs in 10% of 212 samples of ground pork and pork chops collected in four different Canadian provinces. Although there have not yet been any reported cases of human infection with these particular bacteria in North America, patients infected with this same strain of bacteria have been reported in Scotland and the Netherlands.

At this point, bacteria in pork and pigs are not an important source of human disease. However, in light of the recent outbreak of salmonella-related illness linked to fresh tomatoes and the E.coli outbreaks caused by ground beef, food safety continues to be an important public health concern.

Source

JAMA. 2008;299:2751-2759.