Campaign call to step up farm superbug testing

Campaigners have called on the Government to step up its testing for MRSA in farm animals after it emerged a variation of the illness has been found in humans in the UK.

Three patients in Scotland were found to have a strain of the superbug commonly found in pigs and other livestock.

The variation, known as ST398, has been found in continental Europe and Canada, affecting both farm animals and humans.

The Soil ADVERTISEMENTAssociation warned that the emergence of ST398 could push up the number of cases of MRSA in humans, and urged the Government to provide a clear picture of the situation.

The three cases of the ST398 strain, thought to be the first in the UK, were recorded in Scotland's central belt last year.

Dr Giles Edwards, director of the Scottish MRSA Reference Laboratory, said it was not known how the patients became infected.

"We've had three cases from a strain which is similar to the strain which has been associated with animals in other parts of the world. A lot of the patients who got this infection in Holland and Canada have been people who work with animals, such as farmers and vets.

"But none of the three individuals in Scotland have been in contact with animals, not that we could find.