Piggy In the Middle?

Clostridioides difficile infects the digestive systems of humans and other animals. This bacterium is a major antibiotic threat, as it is resistant to all but three of these medications that are currently in use. C. difficile is prominent cause of human disease. In 2017, it produced circa 224 thousand infections with 12,800 deaths in the US. It cost the US healthcare system more then $1bn in that year. Researchers at Copenhagen University and the Statens Serum Institute have now shown that humans can be infected by strains of C. difficile from pigs (https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/apr/24/pigs-can-pass-deadly-superbugs-to-people-study-reveals). Pigs, like other commercially-produced animals, are routinely given high doses of antibiotics. These are administered as growth-enhancers (increasing profits), rather than to control bacterial infections. Repeatedly-exposing pigs to antibiotics, consequently, drives the evolution of antibiotic-resistant strains of C. difficile. Only 'bugs' that are resistant, survive the drug treatments. The fact that these so-called 'superbugs', can be passed to humans, is a real concern. Strains resistant to the 3 antibiotics, currently effective in treating C. difficile infections, may be being generated in farm animals. Using antibiotics as growth enhancers in farming is dangerous, effectively returning humans to a pre-antibiotic age.