MRSA strain found in British milk

A new strain of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA), called ST398, has been found in…

A new strain of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA), called ST398, has been found in British milk following a test carried out by scientists of Cambridge University.

MRSA is found to be spread from the cattle to the humans.

Scientists have tested 1,500 samples of milk and found the organism in seven samples of milk from five different farms in England.

MRSA will result in serious infections in humans that are hard to cure and take long time to recover from them and Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs [Defra] claims that the infections have been found in Scotland and northern England.

According to experts, the risk of MSRA is not found pasteurized milk but can spread through farm and abattoir workers, and vets, who carry infection from cattle and then pass it to others.

The strain of MRSA can be killed off when milk is heat-treated in the pasteurisation process but some consumers prefer unpasteurised milk and cheese.


MRSA ST398 was first found in pigs in Holland in 2003 and it spread to pig populations in Europe and North America and subsequently spread to poultry and cattle.