Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria in Fertilizer - Knowing Your Risks
Antibiotic resistant bacteria found in fertilizer are new threats that have recently been identified and studied by Scandinavian scientists. The threat produced by this strain of bacteria is substantial if it were to ever get out of control. The threat stems from the ability of the antibiotic resistant bacteria to spread to humans and animals through the food chain, as well as from its ability to transmit its natural antibiotic resistance to more dangerous bacteria, such as staph bacteria and strep bacteria.
VRE (Vancomycin Resistant Enterocci)
The bacteria that has a natural resistance to Vancomycin, which is the antibiotic that is used to treat antibiotic resistant bacteria, is enteroccoci. This bacteria is very common. In fact it is commonly found in the human gut, in the environment and in the female reproductive tract. In most cases this bacteria is harmless and is easily controlled by the body's immune system. However, if it is spread to a person with an impaired immune system or to someone with a weakened immune system the bacteria can lead to serious or even deadly infections.
VRE and the Food Chain
The danger that VRE poses is due in part to its easy access to the food chain. VRE is introduced to the food chain through fertilizers produced from processed waste-water. Waste-water includes sewer runoff which includes human feces, including the feces from people that are carriers of VRE. As waste-water is processed into fertilizer, VRE contaminants are concentrated. This fertilizer is then spread on grazing land and farmland where it enters the food chain. In a study conducted by the Swedish National Veterinary Institute researchers found that 79 percent of the waste-water samples that they took contained VRE. This means that a high percentage of the fertilizer produced from waste-water byproducts contain VRE.
VRE Hazards
VRE (Vancomycin Resistant Enterocci)
The bacteria that has a natural resistance to Vancomycin, which is the antibiotic that is used to treat antibiotic resistant bacteria, is enteroccoci. This bacteria is very common. In fact it is commonly found in the human gut, in the environment and in the female reproductive tract. In most cases this bacteria is harmless and is easily controlled by the body's immune system. However, if it is spread to a person with an impaired immune system or to someone with a weakened immune system the bacteria can lead to serious or even deadly infections.
VRE and the Food Chain
The danger that VRE poses is due in part to its easy access to the food chain. VRE is introduced to the food chain through fertilizers produced from processed waste-water. Waste-water includes sewer runoff which includes human feces, including the feces from people that are carriers of VRE. As waste-water is processed into fertilizer, VRE contaminants are concentrated. This fertilizer is then spread on grazing land and farmland where it enters the food chain. In a study conducted by the Swedish National Veterinary Institute researchers found that 79 percent of the waste-water samples that they took contained VRE. This means that a high percentage of the fertilizer produced from waste-water byproducts contain VRE.
VRE Hazards
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