Pork & Pathogens :: A large number of pathogens can infect both pigs and humans. More than any other animal, pigs pass pathogens to humans. Indeed, investigators have been surprised at how frequently pathogens pass back and forth. According to a new study (discussed at Aetiology) of the evolutionary history of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), S. aureus was passed to pigs by their human caretakers. In pigs, which are routinely given antibiotics by industrial food producers, S. aureus picked up resistance genes to tetracyclines and methicillins. The resulting antibiotic-resistant ST398 strain was passed back to humans. Wikipedia lists some of the pathogens that flourish in both pigs and humans and can infect humans who eat infected pork, usually undercooked pork: #1 Pork tapeworm, Taenia solium, not only causes a parasitic infection of the intestines (the worm is typically 2 to 3 meters long) but also the larvae can infect the brain and muscles, causing the disease Cysticercosis which is a common cause of seizures. #2 The roundworm Trichinella spiralis causes trichinosis. As in tapeworm infections, the mature worms are largely confined to the intestines where symptoms include nausea, heartburn, dyspepsia, diarrhea, and eosinophilia but larvae can migrate through the body, producing edema, muscle pain, fever, and weakness. The greatest danger is if the larvae reach the brain, where they can cause “serious neurological deficits (such as ataxia or respiratory paralysis), and even death.” Death results from a rare form of stroke, myocarditis, encephalitis, or pneumonia. #3 Other helminths including pinworms and hookworms, and ascarid worms. [14] #4 Listeria monocytogenes [24]. #5 E. coli, Salmonella, and Staphylococcus aureus [25]. #6 Yersinia enterocolitica, which causes gastroenteritis, is nearly always transmitted through pork.[28] #7 Brucella spp., the bacteria which cause brucellosis or undulant fever. #8 Various viruses, including porcine herpesvirus, rotavirus, parvovirus, and circovirus. Some influenza viruses, such as the famous “swine flu,” have been known to be transmitted from pigs to humans. SARS is an example of a coronavirus which was transmitted from pigs to humans. #9 PERVS (porcine endogenous retroviruses) may also be infectious in humans; of three subgroups of infectious PERVs (PERV-A, PERV-B, and PERV-C), PERV-A and PERV-B have been shown to infect human cells in culture. [24][26]
Posted on: Sat, 15 Jun 2013 04:12:41 +0000
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