Even ‘safe’ levels of antibiotics in food might fuel the next generation of superbugs.
Even tiny traces of antibiotics in the meat and fish we eat could contribute to antibiotic resistance. According to research by the Institute of Tropical Medicine (ITM) in Antwerp, as little as one tenth of the amount of antibiotics currently regarded as ‘safe’ by regulators is enough to trigger resistance in bacteria. Now, the scientists are expanding their research, initially performed on wax moth larvae, to mice and humans.