MRSA OUTBREAK IN UK TURKEYS

[cronus]

http://www.animalaid.org.uk/h/n/NEWS/ne ... ry//2985//

MRSA OUTBREAK IN UK TURKEYS
Posted 27 November 2013

A strain of the MRSA bacterium – which is resistant to a range of antibiotics – has been identified in turkeys being prepared for Christmas at a farm in East Anglia. However, it seems the situation is being down-played by the government, possibly to protect business interests during the festive period, which is critical for the financial health of the turkey industry.

In a move designed to reassure consumers, Defra and the Food Standards Agency were quick to announce that the risk of disease from the infected turkeys, which will go on sale, was ‘very low’, but the fact that few details have been released about the outbreak has raised concerns in the media. As the Daily Mail put it:

‘The fact that the department has decided to keep details of the case secret - protecting the farming and food industry at the expense of providing information to consumers - will raise questions about its priorities.’

The overuse of antibiotics in the often filthy, stressful and crowded conditions on factory farms leads both to the development and spread of disease and to pathogens mutating into potentially drug-resistant strains. Dr Margaret Chan, the Director-General of the World Health Organisation, stated in September that ‘on current trends, we are moving towards a post-antibiotic era where common infections will once again kill.’ She stated that overuse in farmed animals was one of the problems.
In response to this week’s East Anglia outbreak, consumers have been advised that the bacteria will be destroyed by cooking; however hundreds of thousands of people fall ill each year in the UK due to inappropriate handling and cooking of poultry.
MRSA infection can cause symptoms such as boils, abscesses, styes, carbuncles (large pus-filled lumps under the skin), cellulitis (infection of the deep layer of the skin, fat and tissues) or impetigo (highly contagious skin infection that causes blisters). If the bacteria get into the bloodstream, they can cause blood poisoning, septic shock (infection of blood that can lead to organ failure), septic arthritis (severe joint inflammation), osteomyelitis (bone infection), meningitis, pneumonia or endocarditis (infection of the heart lining).

The disease was discovered in the UK in 1961. In the late ’90s it became clear that community-acquired MRSA infections were caused by strains of MRSA that differed from the older and better studied hospital-associated strains.

(continued)

[JimC]

So, it's tofu and mung beans for Xmas dinner in old blighty this year...

[cronus]

So, it's tofu and mung beans for Xmas dinner in old blighty this year...

Quorn family roast - bought a dozen in....they are going cheap although being vegetarian not that cheap.

Made from fungus...

About one in 140,000 consumers are sensitive to mycoproteins.[2][3] The Center for Science in the Public Interest claims this may result in "vomiting, nausea, diarrhea, hives and potentially fatal anaphylactic reactions.

[JimC]

So, it's tofu and mung beans for Xmas dinner in old blighty this year...

Quorn family roast - bought a dozen in....they are going cheap although being vegetarian not that cheap.

Made from fungus...

About one in 140,000 consumers are sensitive to mycoproteins.[2][3] The Center for Science in the Public Interest claims this may result in "vomiting, nausea, diarrhea, hives and potentially fatal anaphylactic reactions.

The best response to this post would be a rousing chorus of "Always look on the bright side of life" from the Python classic...

[Xamonas Chegwé]

This is just one more reason we shouldn't let Turkey join the EU!

[JimC]

I suspect that one would gain a new appreciation of that old dance classic, the Turkey Trot(s)

[Tero]

THIS IS THE END!

[JimC]

THIS IS THE END!

Well, eating one of them would make you leak from one end or the other...

[mistermack]

I think it's more serious than they are letting on.
When you handle the turkey, you get MRSA on your hands. If you cut yourself, you're likely to get an infection that won't clear up with the usual antibiotics. And your doctor probably won't know until it gets serious.

It might be ok once it's cooked, but that's only if it's thoroughly cooked. And if it isn't, you might end up with more than a bad stomach.

Fucking farm animals shouldn't be given antibiotics of any sort. They're the main reason that bacteria are evolving resistance, not humans.

[Mysturji]

So, it's tofu and mung beans for Xmas dinner in old blighty this year...

Whatever happened to ol' Mung Bean?