Newsweek – Testing has revealed the presence of bacteria resistant to multiple antibiotics in pork products sold at Walmart stores in the eastern U.S., according to a report. Research conducted by non-profit World Animal Protection (WAP) identified several strains of bacteria in the meat, 80 percent of which were resistant to at least one antibiotic. Furthermore, the report found that 37 percent of the bacteria in the Walmart samples were resistant to three or more classes of antibiotics—and nearly 10 percent were resistant to six classes.
Worryingly, the report found that 27 percent of the resistant bacteria in the Walmart samples would be unaffected by antibiotics categorized as “Highest Priority Critically Important Antimicrobials” (HPCIAs) by the World Health Organization (WHO). HPCIAs are antibiotics used when there are few or no alternatives to treat people with serious bacterial infections. According to the report, antibiotic-resistant bacteria—commonly referred to as “superbugs”—pose a threat to “all human life.” Meanwhile, the WHO recently described antimicrobial resistance as an “increasingly serious threat to global public health that requires action across all government sectors and society.” READ MORE
