An international team of researchers has found via genetic study of bacteria in livestock that there is a growing resistance to antibiotics used in China. In their paper published in the journal Nature Food, the group describes their whole-genome analysis of Escherichia coli samples collected from a large number of pigs, chickens, cattle and sheep raised in China between the years 1970 and 2019. They looked for genes that confer resistance to several commonly used antibiotics. They also explain why they believe their findings show China and other countries need to find new ways to battle bacterial infections in both humans and animals. Claire Heffernan, with the London International Development Centre, published a News & Views piece in the same journal issue outlining the history of antibiotics use in agriculture and the work done by the team in this new effort.
Click here for original story, Genetic study of bacteria in livestock in China shows growing resistance to antibiotics
Source: Phys.org