Biotics

[Roland]

BRIAN GROW, REUTERS

 

Dec 4, 2014

 

A week after grilling hamburgers in his backyard in November 2011, business consultant Kenneth Koehler became violently ill. He suffered stomach pains, diarrhea and nausea - and rushed to the hospital emergency room in Biddeford, Maine.

 

Days later, his doctors told him that his burger was contaminated with Salmonella Typhimurium, a strain commonly found in ground beef.

 

But Koehler's salmonella was more dangerous than he realized. Records provided to Reuters by Koehler showed that the salmonella strain in the ground beef was resistant to nine types of antibiotics. Three of the antibiotics that didn't work were cephalosporins, including ceftriaxone, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention records.

 

Neither Koehler, 56, nor his doctors know for certain whether ceftiofur had been administered to any of the cows whose meat was contaminated. But they knew the drugs that his salmonella strain were resisting. That's because he was among the last of 19 people from seven states sickened in the outbreak, according to Koehler and the CDC records.

 

Based on the CDC's testing of the salmonella strain, Koehler said, his doctors already determined ceftriaxone wouldn't work. Instead, they prescribed ciprofloxacin, a powerful antibiotic in a different drug category. In humans, about 3 percent of all salmonella samples tested in 2012 by the CDC were resistant to ceftriaxone.

 

"They went directly to cipro," Koehler said of his doctors. "To put it bluntly, this salmonella really kicked my butt."

 

Investigators for the Maine branch of the CDC tested the leftover beef in Koehler's freezer. The tests showed the source of his salmonella was ground beef bought at a Hannaford Bros. supermarket in Saco, Maine. Hannaford declined to comment.

 

Koehler was fortunate. He was treated and released the same day. Eight other people with ceftriaxone-resistant salmonella were hospitalized in the same outbreak, according to the CDC records.

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biotics becoming obsolete?

 

One problem I have found in some US eateries that sell hamburgers is that the customer is often asked "How do you want your hamburger done?" Some of these eateries don't seem to understand that there is really only one SAFE way to cook hamburgers - and that is THOROUGHLY. AT home, proper cooking of hamburgers or tenderized steak means that there should not be any pink in the centre of the meat if it is cooked thoroughly. Cutting boards, utensils need to be disinfected afterward, etc.. It's all common sense, not rocket science.

Re: antibiotic resistance in bacteria, for many years I've wondered if one approach could be to retire specific antibiotics from use as soon as possible when bacterial resistance begins to develop, and store these antibiotics (and/or the moulds that produced them originally) in bio-secure facilities, for years if necessary. Then, as the newer generations of antibiotics start to fail because of bacterial resistance, test these stored antibiotics to determine if they might be as effective as they were originally. Just a thought.

For fanciers I'd suggest a few things: As much as possible, avoid the use of antibiotics, and other treatments in pigeons. Instead try to develop strong natural resistance whenever possible. When treatment is actually proved to be needed, use the full recommended dose for the full recommended time. Avoid the so-called preventive treatments that too many fanciers use or recommend just before the breeding and racing seasons. Why preventively treat a condition that may not even exist in your birds? This approach just knocks out the billions of protective bacteria in the digestive system. Off my soapbox now. Good wishes to all.

[REDCHEQHEN]

I had a salmonella infection 15 years ago and was treated with ciprofloxacin - I got the infection from a kebab!! Spent 10 days in hospital - it was 5 days before they found out what was wrong and started treating me