KEY POINTS:
A Christchurch teenager has found multiple antibiotic-resistant bugs in fresh, supermarket-sold chicken.
Former student Jane Millar conducted a science project as part of an International Baccalaurette Diploma last year, when she was 17, The Press newspaper reported.
She six chickens, including free-range, barn-raised and organic, from a Christchurch supermarket and took samples from each to grow bug colonies. She then tested different antibiotics on the colonies.
Bacteria from two chickens tested resistant to apramycin, which is used by the poultry industry to treat infections. They also proved resistant to gentamicin and tobramycin, which are used for serious human infections.
"The main finding is that we can create resistance to medically important antibiotics by using antibiotics that are presumably safe in agriculture," Ms Millar said.
Eventually, this could lead to superbugs in humans, which were hard to treat and could lead to death.
Ms Millar's mentor, John Aitken, a medical laboratory scientist from Southern Community Laboratories, said the study had sown a "surprising observation".
"But it's a time-specific snapshot and it's not a good look," he told the newspaper.
Poultry Industry Association executive director Michael Brooks said antibiotic use in chickens was heavily regulated.
"The industry works closely with the New Zealand Food Safety Authority (NZFSA) to ensure the safety of all poultry products," he said.
- NZPA
