You have probably seen news about the “Superbug” called MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) that has caused quite a scare for many people, especially people involved in contact sports.  This type of infectious bacteria can cause nasty oozing sores on the skin, permanent scarring, and is also highly contagious.  Oh…and it can kill you by causing your internal organs to shut down.  The only way to treat it is with mega-doses of powerful antibiotics. 

So how would you feel if you found out MRSA could be in the milk you are pouring in your child’s cereal bowl? 

Just recently a new strain of antibiotic-resistant nastiness has been discovered in milk.  Luckily it’s just an animal strain though, right? 

Wrong.  This bacteria was previously not detected, but is now know to also cause MRSA infections in humans.  Researchers discovered the bacteria in the U.K., and so far there have not been any investigations into whether milk in the US might contain the same strain of MRSA. 

Luckily, it is not a big concern for people who drink commercially available milk or eat dairy products.  The government mandated pasteurization, along with the digestion process kills the MRSA bacteria.  The only real threat would be for people who come in contact with cows that carry the strain, or people who still farm and produce their own fresh dairy products. 

“The main worry would be that these cows represent a pool of the bacteria and these bacteria end up colonizing people that work or live on farms and they take it out to the wider community,” says study researcher Mark A. Holmes, VetMB, a senior lecturer in the department of veterinary science at the University of Cambridge, England. 

There is reason for the medical community to be aware and concerned about this strain.  The current method for detecting MRSA is by polymerase chain reaction tests.  These tests are common in hospitals and are favored because of their speed and accuracy.  However, this new strain has developed a gene that allows it to “hide” and this makes it very difficult to detect.  If you go to the lab with this strain of MRSA there is a fair chance that they will not be able to detect it with the current test methods. 

So I guess the lesson here is to wash your hands frequently if you have an urge to play with cows, and if you have to choose,  go for the pasteurized milk.