Antibiotics created superbug at poultry farms in China, study finds
- Almost every strain of common bacteria E coli found by scientists had become resistant to multiple drugs
- They said it was the result of overuse of antibiotics and warned it could happen ‘in many countries around the world’
Overuse of antibiotics at some poultry farms in China has turned a common bacteria into a superbug, according to a new study.
Almost every strain of E coli – which can cause severe food poisoning – found at some farms in Shandong province had become resistant to multiple drugs because of the high levels of antibiotics being used.
The superbug could have serious consequences for human health if people became infected through soil, water or chicken meat, a team from Shandong Agricultural University warned.
“This is not just a problem for Shandong or China. This could happen right now in many countries around the world,” said Wang Fangkun, a professor of veterinary medicine at the university and lead author of a peer-reviewed paper published in Poultry Science journal on Tuesday.
Farmers in many countries feed antibiotics to chickens, cattle, pigs and other animals to make them grow faster and to prevent and treat infection. According to some industry estimates, farm animals consume 80 to 90 per cent of the antibiotics produced worldwide.
While antibiotics make it cheaper to produce meat, promoting growth and allowing animals to be kept in overcrowded conditions, they can also give rise to drug-resistant bacteria, or superbugs.