Antibiotic Free Pork Has More Parasites and Dangerous Bacteria
Consumers in recent years have become concerned about overuse of antibiotics in animals raised for food. It appears that eating antibiotic free animals may be even worse for you than the antibiotic treated animals-at least when it comes to pork.
Comparing swine grown without antibiotics and conventional swine production showed that pigs raised outdoors without antibiotics had increased incidence of three food-borne pathogens compared to pigs on conventional farms, which were kept indoors and were given preventive doses of antibiotics.
Animal-friendly, outdoor pig farms had higher rates of Salmonella they also had higher rates of parasitic illness.
Over fifty percent of pigs raised on antibiotic-free farms tested positive for Salmonella. Only 39 percent of conventionally raised pigs had Salmonella. Toxoplasma gondii (a parasite) was found in 6.8 percent of antibiotic-free pigs, compared to only 1.1 percent of antibiotic treated pigs. Two of the naturally raised pigs of the total 616 sampled tested positive for Trichinella spiralis, a dangerous parasite which previously had been considered eradicated from conventional U.S. pork operations.
Pork which is cooked thoroughly according to federal guidelinesshould pose no risk to human health. The U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends that consumers cook fresh pork to an internal temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit. The pathogens generally do not cause illness in the animals.
Routine antibiotic use does not completely eliminate Salmonella bacteria in conventional pig herds, as shown by the 39 percent of those pigs in this study that tested positive for the pathogen however the incidencewas significantly lower. The presence of parasites in the antibiotic free animals may be a source of concern for consumers.
On conventional modern pig farms, animals are kept indoors in ventilated barns and have free movement within pens. Antibiotics are routinely added to pig feed to increse growth and prevent infections. A period of antibiotic withdrawal before animals are slaughtered is used to ensure that the pork doesn’t have any antibiotic residue.
On antibiotic-free pig farms, animals are raised in open farm fields. Pigs on these farms receive antibiotics only to treat active infections. Any sick pigs are treated and separated from other pigs. The antibiotic treated pigs are no longer sold as naturally raised pork.
The scientists tested pigs on farms in North Carolina, Ohio and Wisconsin. Of the total studied, 324 were raised in antibiotic-free systems and 292 lived on conventional farms. The researchers took blood samples to test for the presence of antibodies against bacterial and parasitic infections. The higher rates of infection on natural farms were consistent in all three geographic regions.
The Trichinella roundworm surprised researchers the most. Federal inspectors normally expect to find one positive test for the parasite out of 14,000 pigs, so the two positive tests for Trichinella roundworm in 600 pigs was very significant.
Trichinellosis, was historically associated with undercooked pork, but in the recent past, the parasite has been mostly found in wild mammals. People infectioned with Trichinella roundworm can experience diarrhea, vomiting, fatigue and fever, headaches, cough, and aching joints and muscle pains. Severe cases can be fatal, according to the CDC.
Prescription drugs can treat Trichinellosis infections.
7 percent of antibiotic free pigs were infected with Toxoplasma, while a relatively small number, still represented a substantially higher rate of this parasite than that occuring in the conventional pig farms.
Most people with a normal immune system can survive infection by Toxoplasma but it is considered risky for pregnant women and in immune compromised patients.
Salmonella bacteria is a common cause of food-borne illness, which usually gives diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramps that go away within a week in healthy people. More than 1 million Salmonella infections occur in the United States each year.
ref: http://researchnews.osu.edu/archive/porkfarms.htm
