Gabe Mirkin, M.D.
The practice of giving antibiotics routinely to farm
animals has caused most bacteria in meat to be resistant to
antibiotics.
Salmonella is a bacteria that infects both animal and humans. It causes diarrhea, stomach cramps, fever and even
death. When farm animals are given antibiotics to prevent
infections, these antibiotics kill susceptible bacteria, leaving in
the animals only bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics. Then,
resistant bacteria are transmitted to humans who eat the meat.
One study showed that twenty percent of supermarket
meats contained salmonella, with 84 percent of the salmonella
resistant to at least one antibiotic, and 53 percent resistant to at least three. This could be prevented with strict laws to prevent
farmers from routinely giving all animals antibiotics. Until then,
you can protect yourself by cooking meat well before you eat it.