The Netherlands will see a new research into the prevalence of an infectious bacteria on pig production sites.
The for humans highly infectious Methicillin-resistant Streptococcus Aureus bacteria – also known as the ‘hospital bacteria’ – was recently discovered to be present in about 40% of pigs too.
The research will not only include pigs, but also pig producers, their family members and production site colleagues.
Investigation
The study will be carried out on 68 farms, organised by the Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (VWA) and research agency RIVM. “We want to investigate into the relationship of working with pigs and the bacteria’s prevalence,” a spokesman announced. Results are expected in the middle of next year.
According to the VWA the pig bacteria is slightly different than the hospital bacteria, although they share the same harmful properties.