The Rural Voice, 2005-03, Page 37swine production already have
contracted the virus from pigs, he
said. •
While the possible role of the pig
in assisting the new pandemic is still
being speculated upon, the role of
Salmonella in human health is
already known, though under
publicized.
Jeffrey T. Gray of the Department
of Pathobiology and Food Science at
University of Guelph pointed out that
while E. Coli gets lots of publicity,
there are an estimated 25,000
infections annually in the U.S.
resulting in 100-200 deaths while
Salmonella causes two million
illnesses and 2,000 deaths each year.
Children, the elderly and those with
compromised immune systems are
the most severely affected.
Salmonella is particularly
troublesome because it can
infect humans, animals and
even insects and can survive in the
environment for years. It invades the
cells of the host and stays protected
from immune response.
The troubling development has
been new strains of Salmonella
which are resistant to some forms of
antibiotics. Some strains discovered
in the U.S. are resistant to 15
different antimicrobials.
The fact that antibiotics are used
in pigs and pigs are a source of
Salmonella creates great concern for
the production of antimicrobial
resistant Salmonella. While this
concern can be sensationalized, it's
one that deserves attention, Gray
said.
"It has been hypothesized that
when resistant Salmonella is
introduced to a swine population that
is receiving antimicrobials it will
spread more rapidly and replicate to
higher levels than if the antimicrobial
was not present. This phenomenon
would create an important direct,
amplified food safety and
environmental risk from the
combined presence of Salmonella
and antimicrobials than either factor
would alone."
But the good news is that the new
strains that are multiple drug resistant
aren't necessarily easier too transmit,
Gray said. Moreover he feel§ Ontario
has a critical mass of quality
producers, producer organizations
and scientific expertise that can build
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