Improper Food Handling Linked to MRSA in Meat

DETROITStaphyloccus aureus and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) have been discovered in meat and poultry in supermarkets, and the contamination was most likely introduced by human food handlers, according to a new study published in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Preventions journal Emerging Infectious Diseases.

Researchers at Wayne State University purchased 289 raw meat samples, including 156 beef, 76 chicken and 57 turkey samples, from 30 grocery stores in Detroit between August 2009 through January 2010. They found 22.5 percent of the samples were contaminated with S. aureus, and six samples tested positive for MRSA. Of the six samples contaminated with MRSA, two were beef, three were chicken and one was turkey.

"Unlike studies in Europe, where researchers have reported the animal MRSA clone ST398 from various meat products," the researchers said. "All MRSA isolates in our study were USA300, which suggests a possible human source of contamination during meat processing."