CDC warns of "Super" salmonella in beef and cheese

THURSDAY, Aug. 22, 2019 (HealthDay News) – An antibiotic-resistant salmonella strain is making people who eat contaminated beef and unpasteurized soft cheese sick, health officials warned.

Discovered for the first time in 2017, this bacterial strain has already caused the disease of 255 Americans in 32 states and many more cases are expected.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have identified the source of contaminated beef from US sources and Mexican sweet cheese, suggesting that cattle are infected in both countries.

"The resistant strains developed in animals and these strains can then be passed on to humans," explained lead researcher Dr. Ian Plumb, a medical epidemiologist at the CDC.

Giving many antibiotics to livestock and humans is why strains of antibiotic-resistant bacteria are developing.

"I think the use of antibiotics in cattle could affect humans," Plumb said. Better paying attention to how antibiotics are used in farm animals and humans is the only way to curb the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

This latter strain of salmonella is resistant to two commonly prescribed antibiotics, namely azithromycin and ciprofloxacin, the CDC found.

Of the 255 patients, 60 were hospitalized and two died, said Plumb. Patients who died had other diseases, but salmonella was a factor in their deaths, he said.

For most people, Salmonella causes diarrhea attacks that can last for days, but they do not need antibiotics, Plumb added. For some, however, especially those with chronic medical problems, Salmonella can become serious and require hospitalization.

It is highly likely that many more cases of salmonella caused by this strain have occurred and have not been reported, said Plumb. In addition, he expects the number of cases to increase.

"We are underestimating the number of Salmonella infections on the market and it is quite possible that many other cases, for whatever reason, have not reached the local public health departments, and that is not the case. is what we expect, "he said.

Plumb said the CDC was not able to target a particular beef brand, but the agency suspects that this strain of salmonella will continue to spread among cattle.