Superbugs can enter our diets if we . But a new study suggests the vegetables in our diet also have the potential to harbour antibiotic-resistant microbes.
The use of antibiotics in livestock farming for growth promotion rather than curing sick animals is considered a key way for antibiotic resistant bugs to evolve. of the 2 million superbug infections in the US each year are linked to eating meat, .
By comparison, on the role that fruit and vegetables might be playing in spreading antibiotic resistant bacteria to humans. Marlene Maeusli says her research suggests we should consider the whole food chain, not just meat, in transmitting superbugs.
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Tainted leaves
Her team at the University of Southern California found that when two antibiotic resistance strains of E. coli were added to lettuce and fed to mice that had been treated with antibiotics for four days, the superbugs were able to survive the journey through the rodent stomach and hide in the intestines. One of two antibiotics used, clindamycin, actually helped the resistant bugs to colonise the mice guts.
If the mice can get colonised through eating antibiotic-resistant bacteria on vegetables, humans probably can too, Maeusli expects.
The plants most likely acting as a vector for spreading superbugs are leafy greens such as lettuce. They are eaten raw and have crevices on their surface that are difficult to clean during food preparation, meaning the bacteria are less likely to be washed off.
“We come across people saying because they’re vegetarian now they’re safe [from superbugs],” Maeusli, who presented her research at the in San Francisco on 22 June. “What we’re trying to say is that everyone, regardless of whether you’re a vegetarian, you’re still connected to the larger food chain.”
Governments can play an important role in regulating the use of antibiotics on farms to stop superbugs from ending up on plants, Maeusli says. Consumers can also use their “wallet power” by trying to purchase food produced without antibiotics, she adds. In the US, the share of food being sold with a .
