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Seagulls Spreading Resistant Bacteria On Beaches
bs0d3 writes "Dr. Patrice Nordmann has disclosed the results of a small study that looked for resistant bacteria in seagull poop landing on Miami Beach in Florida. During April 2010, they collected 52 stool samples and found within them 83 isolates of gut bacteria such as E. coli. Wired's Maryn McKenna writes, 'Seven of the E. coli carried genes that direct production of CTX-M enzymes, a troublesome resistance factor that protects bacteria from the very broad category of drugs called extended-spectrum beta-lactams and that has recently spread worldwide. In addition, 14 of the E. coli were also carrying the gene for the CMY-2 enzyme, which confers the same ESBL resistance on Salmonella. Nine of the isolates were multi-drug resistant.' This has led some scientists to the conclusion that this is one avenue these bacterias are taking in human infections worldwide. The resistance factors identified in the seagull feces match ones that cause highly resistant infections in humans, and correlate with data collected on beaches in Portugal, Sweden, and France."
Unfortunately, not quite as simple as that. Seagulls like to crap on your hair, if no one points it out to you then there's a chance you could get infected while running your fingers through your hair and then licking them.
Not only that, but "bacterias" is an interesting new take on a word that is already plural...
One bacterium, many bacteria.
Is it time to start teaching Latin again in schools?
Hospitals have toilets.
Hospital poop contains antibiotics.
Toilets flush with water.
The seas are filled with water.
Seagulls live by the sea.
Cow poop from industrial farms contains antibiotics.
Runoff from industrial cattle farms ends up in the river.
The river runs to the sea.
Seagulls live by the sea.
Maybe we should take a look at ways to not put antibiotics into our water.
Cattle is given preemptive antibiotics treatment. This makes its guts bacteria always resistant to the antiobiotics used. Perhaps we could stop selecting drug resistant bacteria there.