Source: Chris Scott, MEATINGPLACE, 6/15/16


The discovery of a bacteria in a second pig that is resistant to the so-called “antibiotic of last resort” — just months after the first swine infection was detected — is prompting U.S. government officials to take a closer look at all samples, including meat.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) this week issued an alert to U.S. health care facilities noting the presence of the E. coli bacteria carrying the MCR-1 gene in a human urine sample as well as in a pig intestine sample. The latest discovery from a pig is the second since March. The agency is reminding public health authorities that the presence of MCR-1 — in the pig and in the Pennsylvania woman who also tested positive — could result in additional resistance to the powerful antibiotic colistin and open the door for other antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

The CDC is concerned that the gene could move from one bacterium to another, spreading antibacterial resistance among a variety of strains.

While the samples are still being studied, the CDC plans to work with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and USDA to look for MCR-1 colistin resistance in “enteric bacteria from humans, retail meat and food animals.” The CDC in May said the discovery of MCR-1 was the first time the strain was found in a person in the United States. The agency has been on the lookout for the gene to crop up in the United States since its emergence in China in 2015.

For more stories, go to www. meatingplace.com.