My husband and I went out for breakfast this morning, and I
made a terribly unhealthy choice and got the chicken and waffles. Thinking about
the chicken that I ate, of which I do not know the origin because I was at a
restaurant and did not see the original packaging, there was likely a lot of
intervention that took place before it made its way to my plate. The chicken
was likely given antibiotics prior to slaughter since the U.S. still uses
nontherapeutic antibiotics in commercial farming, thus increasing my chances of
being exposed to newly evolved super bacteria. In the process of slaughter, the
meat itself may have been exposed to animal feces, increasing the probability
of exposure to microbes. The meat itself had to be stored below a certain
temperature to meet food safety standards both during shipment and storage. The
restaurant was responsible for cooking the meat to an appropriate temperature
to hopefully kill any surviving bacteria.
In clinical this semester, I am in a pediatric clinic that
sees newborns up through adolescents. The newborn population is especially
vulnerable to foodborne illness as their immune systems have not yet fully
developed, and they have not yet developed immunity to most microbes. They are
also at higher risk of severe illness and death as their bodies cannot handle
extreme illness and water losses. At work, I see elderly patients that are also
at risk for severe complications from foodborne illness. Many of the seniors in
our program live independently and prepare food for themselves. I actually had
a geriatric patient recently that presented to the clinic for vomiting. While
obtaining her history, I learned that she had left out eggs and sausage overnight,
which she ate for breakfast. I of course proceeded to provide some extensive
education about foodborne illness and proper food handling and storage.
Fortunately, the illness was mild and she recovered without intervention, but it
could have ended much worse for her!
From what I have seen in the grocery store for the past
several years, many products now advertise if they are antibiotic-free. As a
nursing professional, it is crucial that I ensure my patients know what this
means and why it is important to avoid products that do not say that they were
produced without the use of antibiotics. Since antibiotics are used more widely
in farming than in health care in the U.S., a large percentage of antibiotic-resistant
organisms likely come from use of nontherpeutic antibiotics in commercial
farming. With these new resistant organisms, current recommended antibiotic
treatments will be ineffective. This affects virtually everyone on the planet.
It is difficult for those developing the pharmaceuticals to keep up with
evolving microorganisms. Patients must be educated to properly avoid not only
antibiotics, but also the dangerous microbes that are created as a result of
their use.
