The row about MRSA in livestock, and people, rumbles on in Denmark.
Ironically, the Minister under attack, previously out manoeuvred the Danish vets when they refused him information on farms with pigs or personnel infected by MRSA.
He published a list, on the internet, of all the pig farms alleged to be over-using antibiotics - see earlier report
22. October 2010
Danish cattle affected by MRSA
Written by: MBK
MRSA has also spread to the Danish cattle. . It shows the annual DANMAP report that tracks the evolution of resistant bacteria in agriculture, livestock, food and people, writes engineer.
ST398 MRSA can spread through contact between infected animals or objects and people, which in turn can infect other people...
Lack of knowledge is not an excuse
Professor Frank Moller Aarestrup from DTU Food does not understand that the Food Minister will await a trial that runs until next year before he will look at whether there should be something.
But one study will not be used to determine what exactly needs to be done, said Frank Moller Aarestrup.
- We will look at whether it makes a difference if we stop treating pigs with cephalosporins. But we have a strong suspicion that there are at least two other antibiotics involved namely zinc and tetrazyklin, so unless this study shows that cephalosporins cause 90 percent of the emergence of MRSA - and I think it is far from the case - then several attempts before we can finally say what is causing the spread. S So if Henrik Hoegh will wait until we have finished investigating, he comes to wait long, "he told The Engineer.
Therefore, the lack of knowledge is not an excuse for doing something now, says Frank Møller Aarestrup.