| In The Spread of Superbugs he tells us the story of a California executive, Thomas Dukes, whose life was torn apart in just a few days by a resistant strain of E. coli, ESBL-producing. He probably got it from tainted beef. That is, the beef had the E coli, but there would have been no immediate evidence one could have discovered short of testing the meat - the ordinary consumer is flying blind on this. It is possible he also could have touched a contaminated surface, although consumption of tainted meat is far more likely according to the expert to whom Kristof refers, Dr. Brad Spellberg, an infectious-diseases specialist and the author of "Rising Plague," a book about antibiotic resistance.
You are a strict vegetarian and feeling smug? Vegetarians are also vulnerable to antibiotic resistance nurtured in hog barns. Microbes swap genes, so antibiotic resistance developed in pigs can jump to microbes that infect humans in hospitals, locker rooms, schools or homes.
Perhaps the bug originally remained contained in the colon of Mr. Dukes, and therefore did not threaten him. In all likelihood something perforated his colon causing the bug to spread. Now he has a colostomy bag, although he hopes at some point perhaps his colon will heal sufficiently and the bug will be eradicated from elsewhere in his body. He hopes. He of course cannot be sure.
But this is not about one executive and what he ate. It is about all of us.
Let me repeat those statistics on antibiotic use:
70% for healthy livestock
14% for sick livestock
16% for humans and their pets
And that 16% is also inflated because some doctors over-prescribe. We will have to address that as well, although that will be insufficient if we do not address the abusive use for healthy livestock.
Rep. Louise Slaughter of NY is a microbiologist, the only one in Congress. She wants to curb the routine use of antibiotics in farming. Her bill has 104 co-sponsors. It is tied up in committee, blocked by those having the support of agribusiness. The Senate has not acted, nor has the Obama administration taken up this cause.
Mr. Dukes' colon was perforated by an inflammation. He had a stomach ache. He saw his doctor, who gave him Cipro., a drug that had previously worked against the infection. This time, the pain grew worse. The next evening, he was in surgery to remove eight inches of his colon.
One person, one superbug? Not hardly. Consider Acinetobacter: "We are seeing infections caused by Acinetobacter and special bacteria called KPC Klebsiella that are literally resistant to every antibiotic that is F.D.A. approved," Dr. Spellberg said. "These are untreatable infections. This is the first time since 1936, the year that sulfa hit the market in the U.S., that we have had this problem."
literally resistant to every antibiotic that is F.D.A. approved
which means that we have no way of fighting a massive outbreak. Mr. Dukes survived because he was treated intravenously with another antibiotic that was able to help. But what if it were a superbug resistant to all known and approved antibiotics?
The producers of hogs and other livestock view antibiotics as a cheap and effective way of increasing the weight of their animals, and thereby increasing their profits.
Cheap and effective for them. Potentially devastating for the rest of us.
If people get sick because of their livestock they will lose their customer base.
If there are worries about the safety of their product, overseas markets will be closed to the affected American agricultural products - think of the impact of just a few incidents of mad cow disease or similar events among sheep.
Perhaps my allergies make me somewhat more at risk. So perhaps you think my concern is selfish. It is, and it is more than selfish. There are those in our extended family who have almost died from E. coli. In the cases in mind the strains were not resistant, and quick application of effective antibiotics made a difference.
I care about more than me and mine. Hopefully you know that if you are a regular reader.
I care about more than my fellow Americans. I care about humanity.
I also care about how we treat the animals who provide us with our main source of protein. I am not a vegetarian, I am a true omnivore, as are most Americans. We should not have to radically change our diets because of the great greed (it was a typo) of the large producers in agribusiness. The health and safety of the American people should be paramount, even if we cannot pass meaningful health care reform.
And the safety of American food is not only a health issue, it is a major economic issue as well, potentially for the large producers who are being so stubborn on this issue.
Agribusiness, energy producers, health insurance companies - the selfish concerns of any slice of the American economy should never carry greater weight than the health and safety and well-being - included economic well-being - of the American people.
Reserve the use of antibiotics to meaningful responses to infection. If we do not act on this quickly, we may find that Thomas Dukes is not alone in finding his life in jeopardy. |
