The bacteria has been implicated in the deaths



of a number of cancer and liver disease

patients. The number of infected patients

jumped 50 percent last year.

Health officials said the bacteria is being

transmitted to humans through pigs. The

increased use of antibiotics in agriculture is e behind the spread of the resistant strain.

What are ESBLs?

Extended-Spectrum Beta-Lactamases (ESBLs) are

actually enzymes produced by certain types of

bacteria, which renders the bacteria resistant

to the antibiotics used to treat them.

ESBLs were first discovered in the mid-1980s. At

the time they were mostly found in the

Klebsiella species of bacteria, in hospital

intensive care units. Until recently, few people

were affected by these mutated bacteria and it

didnt appear to be a major growing concern.

That has changed, however. According to the

British Health Protection Agency (HPA), a new

class of ESBL (called CTX-M enzymes) has emerged,

which are now being widely detected among E.Coli

bacteria. These ESBL-producing E. Coli are

resistant to penicillins and cephalosporins, and

are becoming more frequent in urinary tract

infections.

Other species of bacteria that can now produce

ESBLs include:

K. pneumoniae

K. oxytoca

Salmonella

Proteus mirabilis

Pseudomonas aeruginosa

The Problem is Worse Than You Think!

According to a study published October 2007 in

the Journal of the American Medical Association

(JAMA), there were close to 100,000 cases of

invasive methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus

aureus (MRSA) infections in the United States

in 2005, which lead to more than 18,600 deaths.

To put that number into perspective, HIV/AIDS

killed 17,000 people that year.

Antibiotic-resistant disease IS a major man-made

problem.

This was the study that propelled MRSA into the

news last year, combined with a number of school

outbreaks that took place around the same time.

Discussions focused largely on reducing medical

over-use of antibiotics, and proper hygiene such

as washing your hands with soap and water to

reduce the spread of infectious disease.

But little has been said about the rampant

over-use of antibiotics in agriculture, which is

a MAJOR source of human antibiotic consumption,

and hence increased antibiotic resistance.

Agriculture as a Source of Antibiotic Resistance

Both MRSA and ESBL are being traced back to

animals raised for food production, especially

pigs.

These animals are often fed antibiotics at low

doses for disease prevention and growth promotion.

Animals receiving antibiotics in their feed gain

4 to 5 percent more body weight than animals that

do not receive antibiotics, but the price is high

for you, the end consumer, because this practice

also creates the perfect conditions for antibiotic

resistance to flourish.

Denmarks health officials claim theyre unsure of

how farmers and veterinarians, who have not

consumed infected meat, are becoming infected.

However, according to research cited on Johns

Hopkins website, the main reservoir of these

organisms is in the lower digestive tract, and

they can persist within the gastrointestinal tract

for months. So perhaps the answer doesnt have to

be all that complicated.

So, the meat industry practice of using antibiotics

is indeed a driving force behind the development of

antibiotic resistance in a now wide variety of

bacteria that cause human disease.

The long stalemate on this issue constitutes a

struggle between strong science and bad politics.

The FDA finally banned the use of fluoroquinolones

- a widely used class of antimicrobials -- from

agricultural use August 1997, but not without the

Bayer Corporation kicking and screaming in vehement

opposition. After all, antibiotics for livestock

use is big business. It constitutes about 70

percent of ALL antibiotic use! They couldnt

replace that market with human consumers even if

they tried.

Other Agricultural Sources of Antibiotics

Another heavily tainted meat product we should stay away from is conventionally raised chicken.

A 2006

study published in the Journal of Infectious

Diseases found that bacteria from conventional

chicken and from people who ate the chicken became

resistant to Synercid...a strong antibiotic used to

treat antibiotic-resistant bacteria. In essence, it

can cause resistance to the last lines of defense

currently available in the modern medicine cabinet.

It also found that it was rare to find resistant

bacteria among antibiotic-free chicken, while the

majority of bacterial isolates from conventional

poultry were resistant.

But, the ramifications of using antibiotics in

agriculture dont end there. Antibiotics filter

down through the food chain in sometimes

non-suspecting ways.

Antibiotics are also being transferred, via

manure, into your food supply.

A 2007 study in the Journal of Environmental

Quality looked at whether food crops will

accumulate antibiotics from soil covered with

antibiotic-containing manure.

In a greenhouse setting, corn, lettuce and

potatoes were grown on soil that contained pork

manure with a commonly used veterinary

antibiotic added.

The antibiotics were absorbed by all three

crops, into both their leaves and tissue...wow that

is a scary thought...

Meanwhile, the antibiotics also transferred to

the potato tubers, suggesting that root crops

like carrots, radishes and potatoes may be

particularly at risk of antibiotic accumulation.

These findings unfortunately also have

implications for organic farmers, who often use

manure as their main source of fertilizer. And,

as it stands, manure that contains antibiotics

is still allowed under the organic label.

How to Avoid Excessive Antibiotic Exposure...

So how can you make sure that the food you feed to

yourself and your family is pure and healthy?

Apart from growing it yourself..which is your best o option....

is to get to know a local farmer near you.... one

who uses non-toxic farming methods. If you live

in an urban area, there are increasing numbers of

community-supported agriculture programs available

that give you access to healthy, locally grown

foods even if you live in the heart of the city.

If you are looking for a safer alternative to

commercially raised beef please be sure to check

out grass-fed beef. Grass-fed cattle are not

routinely fed antibiotics. They may occasionally

receive them for an infection, but that would be

the rare exception, and even then they are only

used for a few days..find out how to undo negative

effects already plagueing us...

=====

Natural is best, organic superior, and to

learn how to undo the negative effects already

suffered you, visit

<http://gethealthystore.info>