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"Despite a national action plan to control LA-MRSA in the Danish pig population, 88% of pig herds tested positive in a 2016 cross-sectional study of 57 herds."

"Despite a national action plan to control LA-MRSA in the Danish pig population, 88% of pig herds tested positive in a 2016 cross-sectional study of 57 herds." Ref:https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-37075-8 https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-37075-8 Also although I cannot reference it, I also recall a documentary on MRSA cases jumping from livestock to Humans in Denmark, it was mostly farm and abattoir workers. I am not one to disagree that we need to reduce antibiotics on livestock as a whole. But the reality is that this is likely hard to achieve without decreasing the population density of livestock per square meter in farms and that is likely to not be possible at the price point people are willing to accept to buy meat. So something eventually will have to give or nature will take it's course and find a way.

vo2maxer 7y ago
The study quoted [1] is a simulation study of LA-MRSA among Danish pig herds between 2006 and 2015. The study concludes: “Combinations of control measures reduced the spread of LA-MRSA, especially when all four strategies were combined. Using an extreme scenario including limiting the use of high-risk antibiotics, reducing the risk of spread via indirect contact by 75%, implementing movement restriction and culling a percentage of positive herds led to a prevalence reduction to only 6% with initiation in 2007 or 13% in 2010.” Now compare that with the reduction in antibiotic use during 2015-2018 [2] and there seems to be no reason why it would go back to historically high levels. There should be optimism that in such a relatively short time, significant changes can happen. The main thrust of the Times article is precisely that. [1] https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-37075-8 https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-37075-8 [2] https://www.foedevarestyrelsen.dk/english/Animal/MRSA/Pages/Low_use_of_antibiotic_in_Denmark.aspx https://www.foedevarestyrelsen.dk/english/Animal/MRSA/Pages/...

vo2maxer 7y ago

The study quoted [1] is a simulation study of LA-MRSA among Danish pig herds between 2006 and 2015. The study concludes: “Combinations of control measures reduced the spread of LA-MRSA, especially when all four strategies were combined. Using an extreme scenario including limiting the use of high-risk antibiotics, reducing the risk of spread via indirect contact by 75%, implementing movement restriction and culling a percentage of positive herds led to a prevalence reduction to only 6% with initiation in 2007 or 13% in 2010.” Now compare that with the reduction in antibiotic use during 2015-2018 [2] and there seems to be no reason why it would go back to historically high levels. There should be optimism that in such a relatively short time, significant changes can happen. The main thrust of the Times article is precisely that. [1] https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-37075-8 https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-37075-8 [2] https://www.foedevarestyrelsen.dk/english/Animal/MRSA/Pages/Low_use_of_antibiotic_in_Denmark.aspx https://www.foedevarestyrelsen.dk/english/Animal/MRSA/Pages/...