Cambridge research finds antibiotic-resistant E.coli in supermarket chicken
Research conducted at Cambridge University has found superbug stains of E.coli in 22 of 92 chicken pieces purchased from seven different UK supermarket.
The research was commissioned by The Alliance to Save our Antibiotics which fears that the overuse of antibiotics in agriculture is contributing to the increasing levels of resistance found in human E.coli infections.
E.coli is a bacterium found in the intestines of humans, livestock and other animals which is excreted in faeces.
Symptoms can include abdominal cramps, fever, vomiting and diarrhoea that may be bloody.
In young children, the elderly and people with weak immune systems, the infection can cause serious kidney damage, blindness, paralysis and sometimes death.
In 2015, 5,574 people in England died due to E.coli infections.
In July 2016, a child in Scotland died and 19 other cases were confirmed as due to E.coli contamination in a batch of blue cheese.
Consumers are advised to handle raw meat carefully and ensure that poultry, pork and minced beef and lamb products are cooked thoroughly so that the meat is steaming hot throughout, there is no pinkness and any juices run clear.
