Researchers Keep Finding More Ways
Our Flawed Agriculture Model Breeds Antibiotic Resistance
April 14, 2015
Story at-a-glance
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By 2050, antibiotic resistance is estimated to kill
10 million people annually, worldwide. At present,
at least 23,000 Americans die as a direct result of
an antibiotic-resistant infection each year
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The routine use of antibiotics in livestock is a
major driver of drug-resistance. Commonly used
herbicides also promote antibiotic resistance by
priming pathogens to more readily become resistant
to antibiotics
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DNA from antibiotic-resistant bacteria found in
cattle yards are also airborne; in addition to
contaminated water and meat, this is yet another
route of exposure for animals and humans alike
By Dr. Mercola
American farmers routinely use antibiotics to make their
livestock grow bigger and faster (in addition to preventing
disease caused by cramped, filthy quarters, and an unnatural
diet). As a result of decades of this practice,
antibiotic-resistance in humans has dramatically risen.
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention1
(CDC), two million American adults and children become infected
with antibiotic-resistant bacteria each year, and at least
23,000 of them die as a direct result.
A recent report commissioned by UK Prime Minister, David
Cameron, estimates that by 2050
antibiotic resistance will have killed 300 million people;
the annual global death toll reaching 10 million. Experts are
now warning that we may soon be at a point where ALL antibiotics
fail, and once that happens, it will be the end of modern
medicine as we know it.
Common illnesses such as bronchitis or strep throat can then
turn deadly, and even routine, low-risk surgeries become risky.
More high-stakes surgeries like organ transplants may no longer
be survivable.
Flawed Agriculture Model Has Bred Out-of-Control Drug Resistance
The routine use of antibiotics in agriculture is at the very
heart of this urgent public health threat. First of all,
agriculture accounts for about 80 percent of all antibiotics
used in the US, so it’s really a primary source of antibiotic
exposure.
Second, it is the continuous use of low dose
antibiotics that really allows the bacteria to survive and
become increasingly hardy and drug resistant. But while
confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs) tend to get
blamed the most, other aspects of agriculture contribute to the
scourge of antibiotic resistance as well, and in some surprising
ways.
In the first study2,3,4
of its kind, researchers found that commonly used herbicides
actually promote antibiotic resistance by priming pathogens to
more readily become resistant to antibiotics. This includes
Roundup, which was shown to increase the antibiotic-resistance
of E. coli and Salmonella.
As reported by Rodale News:5
“The way Roundup causes this effect is likely by
causing the bacteria to turn on a set of genes that are
normally off, [study author] Heinemann says. ‘These genes
are for 'pumps' or 'porins,' proteins that pump out toxic
compounds or reduce the rate at which they get inside of the
bacteria...’
Once these genes are turned on by the herbicide, then
the bacteria can also resist antibiotics. If bacteria were
to encounter only the antibiotic, they would instead have
been killed.
In a sense, the herbicide is 'immunizing' the
bacteria to the antibiotic...This change
occurs at levels commonly used on farm field crops, lawns,
gardens, and parks.” [Emphasis mine]
Other herbicides scrutinized in the study include dicamba and
2,4-D, which is particularly relevant in light of the recent
approval of a
new generation of GE crops resistant not only to glyphosate,
but also to dicamba and/or 2,4-D.
Glyphosate Contamination May Be a Significant Yet Largely
Ignored Health Risk
German researchers6
have noted that:
“Glyphosate residues cannot be removed by washing and
they are not broken down by cooking. Glyphosate
residues can remain stable in foods for a year or more, even
if the foods are frozen, dried, or processed.”
[Emphasis mine]
This then means that if you’re frequently eating foods
contaminated with glyphosate, you’re continually exposing your
gut bacteria to a chemical that threatens your health by:
- Acting as an antibiotic (glyphosate
is in fact patented as an antibiotic); preferentially
affecting beneficial bacteria, allowing pathogens to
overgrow
- Inhibiting enzymes that catalyze the oxidation of
organic substances and detoxify chemical compounds.
This appears to be one of the previously hidden
mechanisms of harm, because by limiting the ability of these
enzymes to detoxify chemicals,
glyphosate enhances the damaging effects of chemicals
and environmental toxins you may be exposed to
- Readily promoting antibiotic resistance by activating
certain genes in the bacteria, as demonstrated in the study
above
- Glyphosate also decimates your microflora and its
ability to produce essential amino acids like tryptophan
that converts to serotonin, an important neurotransmitter,
90 percent of which is produced in your gut
How Toxic Agriculture Is Swirling Its Way into Your Home
Another surprise finding: researchers recently discovered
that DNA from antibiotic-resistant bacteria found in American
cattle yards are also airborne.7,8,9,10
They’re literally blowing in the wind, and this is yet another
route of exposure for animals and humans alike.
As reported by Time Magazine:11
“Researchers gathered airborne particulate matter
(PM) from around 10 commercial cattle yards within a
200-mile radius of Lubbock, Texas over a period of six
months.
They found the air downwind of the yards contained
antibiotics, bacteria, and a ‘significantly greater’ number
of microbial communities containing antibiotic-resistant
genes...
The genes that have gone airborne are contained in
dried fecal matter that has become dust and gets picked up
by winds... Co-author Phil Smith told the Texas Tribune that
the bacteria could be active for a long time and ‘could be
traveling for long distances.’”
The study estimates that the amount of potentially
contaminated dust particles released by cattle yards in
Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Texas exceeds 46,000
pounds (21,000 kg) per day. You can be exposed to DNA from
antibiotic-resistant bacteria via water and
contaminated meat, and depending on where you live, simply
breathing could be a route of exposure... According to the
authors:12
“‘This is the first test to open our eyes to the fact
that we could be breathing these things...’’ The
'aha' moment came when we saw how much more prevalent
resistant sequences were downwind than upwind,’ said Mayer,
a molecular biologist at Texas Tech. ‘It was not just higher
in some of them – it was 4,000 percent
more. It made me not want to breathe.’”
Other Factors Contributing to Rising Antibiotic Resistance...
Researchers have also identified antibiotic-resistant genes
in hog farms in China.13
Interestingly, this study also discovered that metals added to
feed as growth promoters contribute to antibiotic resistance as
well, noting that:
“[A]bundance of antibiotic-resistant genes (ARGs)
correlated directly with antibiotic and metal
concentrations, indicating their importance in selection of
resistance genes. Diverse, abundant, and potentially mobile
ARGs in farm samples suggest that unmonitored use of
antibiotics and metals is causing the emergence and release
of ARGs to the environment.”
And, as if all of this wasn’t enough, there’s the issue of
drug companies dumping
antibiotics directly into waste water as well, which is
routinely done by some manufacturing facilities in India and
China. Aside from direct ingestion, this contaminated wastewater
also finds its way onto crop fields via irrigation and sludge (biosolids)
used as fertilizer. Chlorine, which is used in waste water
treatment, may also exacerbate the situation. As
recently reported by Forbes:14
“[I]n the lab, chlorine can combine with antibiotics,
changing its antibacterial activity and making new
compounds.15
[Olya Keen, Ph.D., of the University of North Carolina] used
doxycycline for her tests. It is not yet known how other
antibiotics might be affected by prolonged exposure to
chlorine, but Keen is concerned that this might be another
mechanism promoting antibiotic resistance. Keen recommends
collecting and incinerating antibiotics, rather than dumping
them into wastewater.”
What’s Being Done to Address This Growing Health Threat?
It would be nice if politicians and health officials were as
aggressive in tackling antibiotic-resistance as they are toward
a typically non-lethal childhood disease like measles... After
all, antibiotic-resistant disease kills an estimated 23,000
Americans per year, or more; while no deaths have been
reported from
acute measles since 2003.
According to Reuters,16
the US government is planning to begin collecting data on
antibiotic use on farms as of next year, in order to set targets
for reduced use in livestock. The problem with this is that it’s
going to take time to collect and analyze such data, and it’s
time we don’t necessarily have. The problem is growing
exponentially, and tens of thousands of people are dying with
each passing year. Agricultural use of antibiotics needs to be
curbed as much as possible, as quickly as possible, period. And
other countries have already shown that it’s quite possible to
run a profitable livestock business without routine
use of antibiotics.
Hospitals Combating Superbugs
As for combating antibiotic-resistant superbugs in hospitals,
a group of four long-term acute care hospitals in Chicago, IL,
have developed a treatment plan that has cut their rates of
carbapenem (a potent IV beta lactam antibiotic)-resistant
Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) infections in half. As
reported by Reuters:17
“The program involved testing all patients for CRE
infections at the time of admission and again two weeks
later. Patients who developed CRE were isolated in a private
room or in a ward with other CRE-infected patients.
Healthcare workers wore protective gowns while tending to
them, using some of the procedures used when caring for
patients with Ebola. All infected patients were bathed in
chlorhexidine gluconate, an antiseptic commonly used in
hospitals.”
The White House has called on the CDC to come up with a
comprehensive plan to cut CRE infections by 60 percent by the
end of this decade, and to slash clostridium difficile-
and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)
infections in half. To do that, the CDC intends to take a
stronger stance against the practice of prescribing unnecessary
antibiotics. Part of the CDC’s 2016 budget includes money to
develop prescription surveillance programs in each state, as
many states currently do not even collect data on antimicrobial
resistance. As noted in the article:
“More than half of all hospitalized patients will get
an antibiotic at some point during their stay, but studies
have shown that 30 to 50 percent of antibiotics prescribed
in hospitals are unnecessary or incorrect, contributing to
antibiotic resistance. Recognizing that much of the misuse
of antibiotics occurs outside of hospitals, the White House
plan gives doctors who take part in Medicare or Medicaid
three years to start reporting their antibiotics
prescriptions, with financial incentives and penalties
attached.”
1,000-Year Old Remedy Kills MRSA
As more and more antibiotics fail, we’re in dire need of new
alternatives, and many of the immediately-available life savers
are not drugs. For example, one of the most effective treatments
against clostridium difficile infections is a
fecal transplant, and Canada recently decided to allow this
procedure to be used outside of clinical trials.18
Another interesting intervention that took researchers
completely by surprise is a 1,000-year old remedy against eye
infections. As reported by BBC News,19
the recipe calls for garlic, leeks, wine, and cow bile, and when
scientists recreated this ancient remedy, “they were
'astonished' to find it almost completely wiped out
methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus.” The findings will
be presented at the Annual Conference of the Society for General
Microbiology in Birmingham.
The recipe, found in the Anglo-Saxon manuscript Bald's
Leechbook is as follows:
- Equal amounts of garlic and another allium (onion or
leek), finely chopped and crushed in a mortar for two
minutes.
- Add 25ml (0.87 fl oz) of English wine - taken from a
historic vineyard near Glastonbury.
- Dissolve bovine salts in distilled water, add and then
keep chilled for nine days at 4°C.
There Are Solutions, But We Cannot Let Industry Write the Rules
There are solutions. But in order to really curb this runaway
train that is antibiotic-resistance, we need to implement a
multi-prong approach. The medical industry needs to do its part,
farmers need to do theirs, and you need to participate too. The
quickest changes are usually driven by consumer choice. So
please remember, you can vote with your pocketbook by supporting
the chemical-based system that is driving drug-resistance, or
supporting a system that can
regenerate and revitalize our agricultural system so that we
can all have healthier, less contaminated food, water, and air.
This is in part why GMO labeling is so crucial, as GE crops
further aggravate the many ills caused by chemical agriculture
and CAFOs. Also, remember that eating a healthy diet of whole,
ideally organic food is a cornerstone that will allow you to
optimize your immune function so that you can naturally fight
off any potential infection. Avoiding unnecessary antibiotics is
also important, as they decimate your gut flora, thereby leaving
you more vulnerable to health problems. The same goes for
antibacterial cleansers. All you really need is mild soap and
warm water to effectively de-germ your hands.
Antibacterial products containing triclosan only promote
antibiotic-resistance.
Non-Drug Immune Boosters
There are many non-drug alternatives you can try, should you
come down with an infection. There are also effective preventive
strategies beyond a healthy diet. For example, studies have
shown that inadequate vitamin D can increase your risk for
MRSA and other infections, which can likely be extended to
other superbugs. So monitor your vitamin D levels to confirm
they’re in the therapeutic range, 50-70 ng/ml. If you can’t get
sufficient sun exposure, consider taking an oral vitamin D
supplement. Other agents that have natural antibacterial action
include (but is not limited to) the following:
- Vitamin C. Vitamin C’s role in
preventing and treating infectious disease is well
established. Intravenous vitamin C is an option, but if you
don’t have access to a practitioner who can administer it,
liposomal vitamin C is the most potent oral form. For more
information on vitamin C, listen to my interview with Dr.
Ronald Hunninghake, an internationally recognized
vitamin C expert. If you choose to supplement with
vitamin C, liposomal C seems to be the best oral form to use
and may be as effective as intravenous forms.
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Garlic. Garlic is a
powerful antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal. It can
stimulate your immune system, help wounds heal, and kill
antibiotic-resistant bacteria (including MRSA and multi-drug
resistant tuberculosis), plus it has shown more than 100
other health promoting properties. For highest potency, the
garlic should be eaten fresh and raw (chopped or smashed).
- Colloidal Silver.
Colloidal silver has been regarded as an effective natural
antibiotic for centuries, and research20,21,22
shows it can even be helpful against some
antibiotic-resistant pathogens. If you are interested in
this treatment, make sure you read the latest guidelines for
safe usage of colloidal silver as there are risks with using
it improperly.
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Olive leaf extract. In
vitro studies show olive leaf extract is effective against
Klebsiella, a gram-negative bacteria, inhibiting
its replication, in addition to being toxic to other
pathogenic microbes.
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Manuka honey. Manuka
honey, made from the flowers and pollen of the Manuka bush,
has been shown to be more effective than antibiotics in the
treatment of serious, hard-to-heal skin infections. Clinical
trials have found Manuka honey can effectively eradicate
more than 250 clinical strains of bacteria, including
resistant varieties such as MRSA.
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Tea tree oil. Tea tree
oil is a natural antiseptic proven to kill many bacterial
strains (including MRSA).
Copyright 1997- 2015 Dr. Joseph Mercola. All Rights Reserved.
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