A 'super' bacteria has been found in 40% of meat products in Spanish supermarkets, according to a report by the Universidad de Santiago de Compostela (Galicia).

The researchers inspected 100 meat products chosen randomly, consisting of chicken, turkey, beef and pork and found this antibiotic-resistant bacteria, which can be harmful for humans, in 40%.

The bacterias found are Klebsiella pneumoniae and Escherichia coli, which can cause sepsis or urinary-tract infections. In fact, 40 of the 100 samples contained multi-resistant E. Coli.

However, the Head of the Centro de Biomedicina y Veterinaria at the university, Azucena Mora, said that the majority of the products had E. coli within acceptable levels.

She pointed out that what is worrying is not that there are microorganisms legally permitted but rather the existence of super-bacterias that are resistant to antibiotics.

She explained that these types of “potentially pathogenic” agents have developed “enzymes that confer resistance to most antibiotics, such as penicillins, Cephalosporins, and Aztreonam Monobactam.” A small percentage (1%) were even immune to Colistin, “a last-resort antibiotic used to treat infections caused by bacteria resistant to all others.”

Doctor Mora said that the types of meat most affected were chicken and turkey and only to a lesser extent cows and pigs and concluded with, “the vast majority of the meat products we consume in Europe are within microbiologically healthy limits, but when incorrect manipulations are carried out, the levels can be above those limits.”

(News: Spain)