Pig workers get 'infection of the heart' - Streptococcus suis

Pat's Note: From all over the world, the human risks of sick pigs
become ever more obvious.

British veterinarians continue to hide from their responsibilities.

There will have to be a very deep and thorough reform with formerly
cherished institutions abolished and their leaders put into compulsory
retirement.

Space will have to be made for more ethical and capable veterinarians
to take their place.

Veterinary science is a failed industry especially in Britain. Failed
industries, especially those damaging the public interest, have to be
replaced with more modern institutions with new people occupying the
key positions.

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?idd1933

Pig workers get 'infection of the heart'

11:33 AEST Sun Oct 5 2008

Two piggery workers have survived a potentially-deadly disease of the
heart valves after contracting a bug from animals bound for the
abattoir.

Doctors at Canberra Hospital have treated a 46-year-old woman and a
58-year-old man, both from NSW, for fevers, sweating and severe weight
loss caused by endocarditis, a serious condition where bacteria settle
on the valves of the heart and spread infection throughout the body.
The woman required a heart valve replacement to survive.

The bacterium, called Streptococcus suis, is common in pigs and can be
caught by humans through contact with live or dead pigs, though the
exact mechanism for transmission is unknown.

It has caused large-scale death among humans, most recently in 2005
when 215 Chinese butchers and meat processors became infected, killing
more than half.

Only two cases have been reported in Australia, the first in 1993 and
a second in April last year, when a 41-year-old Melbourne meat
processor developed toxic shock syndrome from the bug.

Canberra Hospital infectious diseases physician Dr Karina Kennedy said
with four reported cases, the strain is emerging as a serious hazard
for Australian piggery workers.

"These cases show that it is an occupational hazard in Australian
piggeries, with potential public health, animal health and
medico-legal implications," Dr Kennedy said in the latest Medical
Journal of Australia.

The journal has detailed the latest cases, revealing that the woman
developed fatigue and anorexia, and lost 20 kilograms in the months
before she was diagnosed in October 2006, and required an operation to
replace her severely damaged aortic valve.

The man, who was from the same unnamed NSW town, presented to the
hospital in January this year with headache, fevers, neck stiffness
and confusion, and recovered after drug treatment.

Paul Seale, a professor of clinical pharmacology at the University of
Sydney, said the cases should be a wake-call for health authorities.

"On the back of this we need occupational health and safety experts to
go into these piggeries and rigorously examine ways in which the
workers can be better protected from this exposure before it happens
again," Prof Seale said.

--
Regards
Pat Gardiner
Release the results of testing British pigs for MRSA and C.Diff now!
www.go-self-sufficient.com  and http://animal-epidemics.blogspot.com/
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