Scientist Warns CDC About Uptick of C. Difficile in Foods
A University of Arizona scientist has reportedly warned the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that more than 40 percent of prepackaged meats sampled in 2006 tested positive for Clostridium difficile, an intestinal bug usually associated with hospitals and nursing homes. In addition, Professor of Veterinary Science J. Glenn Songer apparently found that 30 percent of the contaminated meats carried a highly toxic strain of C. difficile that is also resistant to drug treatments. He warned that not only is this disease difficult to
trace to its source, but it survives most forms of sterilization, including cooking. “These data suggest that domestic animals, by way of retail meats, may be a source for C. difficile for human infection,” Songer told MSNBC.com, which reported on the emergence of the superbug in supermarket products like ground beef, turkey and ready-to-eat summer sausage.
Yet, “There are no documented cases of people getting Clostridium difficile from eating foods that contain C. difficile,” according to L. Clifford McDonald, chief of prevention and response for a CDC division. Other scientists also noted that C. difficile might be prevalent in other environments, urging further research. “The connection between the animal, food and the disease has not been made,” said C. difficile expert Dale Gerding of the Stritch School of Medicine at Loyola University in Chicago. “But that doesn’t mean it’s not there.” See MSNBC.com, November 18, 2008.
