A new study conducted in Brazil has found that heavy metal exposure increases the level of antibiotic resistant bacteria in dairy cows. Researchers studied two dairy herds in Brazil four years after a dam holding mining waste ruptured. This poses a threat to human health, according to information published in Penn State News. Researchers Erika Ganda, assistant professor of food animal microbiomes at Penn State said in a statement, "Our findings are important because if bacterial antimicrobial resistance is transferred via the food chain by milk or meat consumption, it would have substantial implications for human health. What we saw is, when heavy metal contamination is in the environment, there is potential for an increase of so-called ‘superbugs.'" In 2015, the Fundao Tailings … [Read more...]