Consumer Magazine Test Finds Harmful Bacteria in Chickens

WASHINGTON — A consumer magazine says it found harmful bacteria, much of it drug-resistant, in almost half the chickens it bought from stores nationwide.

The bacterium campylobacter, which can cause food poisoning, was found in 42% of 484 fresh broiler chickens tested for a survey in the January issue of Consumer Reports. The magazine said Tuesday that 12% of the chickens had salmonella, another bacterium. Both bugs can cause diarrhea, fever, abdominal pain and even death.

The report said people sickened by the bacteria would stay sick longer, and treatment would be more difficult for doctors, because 90% of the campylobacter samples and 34% of the salmonella resisted treatment by commonly used antibiotics such as tetracycline.

“That’s a very uncomfortable starting point, and it goes to reinforce the growing concern about the use of antibiotics in livestock production,” said David Pittle, vice president for technical policy at the magazine’s publisher, Consumers Union.