Category Archives: Agriculture

So How Will the Ag Lobby Explain This?

Posted on February 22, 2012 by

A brand spanking new paper in mBio describes how a clone of MRSA (the bacterium methicillin rensitive Staphylococcus aureus), known as ST398, long-associated with agriculture including pigs gained its methicillin and tetracylcine resistance. Surprise! It happened in the agricultural setting. … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Antibiotics, Evolution, Microbiology, MRSA | 4 Comments

Good News: FDA Will Restrict the Use of Cephalosporin Antibiotics

Posted on January 5, 2012 by

Maybe the public response had something to do with this reversal? And if you had to pick a class, I think cephalosporins are a good group: Cephalosporins are commonly used in humans to treat pneumonia as well as to treat … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Antibiotics, Public Health

Yet Another Way Big Ag Lobbyists Are Trying to Make You Sick

Posted on July 6, 2011 by

Killing the only program that tracks non-O157:H7 shiga toxinogenic E. coli. Would you like sprouts with that?
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Posted in Agriculture, E. coli, Propaganda, Public Health | 9 Comments

The E. coli O104:H4 Outbreak Gets More Confusing–and Potentially More Disturbing

Posted on June 27, 2011 by

I engage in some speculation, and hope that I’m very, very wrong.
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Posted in Agriculture, E. coli, Ecology, Microbiology, We're Really Fucked | 4 Comments

It’s When the Pundits, Not Lobbyists, Divide Over Antibiotic Resistance, We’ll Be Screwed

Posted on June 24, 2011 by

I’m not so worried about this becoming “a culture war of facts.” Yet.
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Posted in Agriculture, Antibiotics, Propaganda, Public Health | 6 Comments

There Are Probably A Lot of Angry Spanish Farmers Right About Now…

Posted on June 5, 2011 by

…and I can’t blame them.
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Posted in Agriculture, E. coli, Public Health | 7 Comments

Staph in Food: Reservoirs of Resistance and the Need to Embiggen Research

Posted on April 20, 2011 by

To understand reservoirs of resistance, let’s settle the issue and really fund this thing.
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Posted in Agriculture, Funding, MRSA | 6 Comments

Urban Vertical Farming: Maybe in Detroit?

Posted on June 24, 2010 by

Is this totally crazy, or could this be a partial solution towards revitalizing some of our down-on-their-luck urban areas?
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Posted in Agriculture, Urban Planning | 12 Comments

Clarifying Commensals: Thoughts on Kristof’s Superbugs Op-Ed

Posted on March 8, 2010 by

Agricultural misuse of antibiotics is a problem. But did it cause the MRSA and ESBL problems?
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Posted in Agriculture, Antibiotics, E. coli, KPC, Microbiology, MRSA | 4 Comments

Would You Like Ammonia-Laced Pink Slime with That Burger?

Posted on January 4, 2010 by

Too bad. You don’t really get a choice.
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Posted in Agriculture, We're Really Fucked | 25 Comments