Talking Points

Pacific Salmon May Have Caught a Superbug

By Jonathan Kauffman Tue., Oct. 18 2011 at 8:29 AM
Categories: Talking Points
rsz_salmon_in_water.jpg
Factory farming is being held accountable for the the rise of antibiotic-resistent staph, virulent strains of E. coli, and now a powerful virus that has killed off huge numbers of Atlantic farmed salmon in Europe. But the latter seemed to be restricted to the ocean to the east of us until recently, when it was detected in wild salmon in the Pacific Northwest.

Even no sign of the virus has ever been found in salmon farms in British Columbia, where the diseased fish were found, according to the New York Times the virus has somehow jumped the continent -- possibly via the eggs that Pacific Coast salmon farmers import from Scandinavia -- and has been found in sockeye salmon 60 miles away from the nearest fish farm. It's deadly, untreatable, and quickly becomes endemic. Now scientists are rushing to figure out just where it has spread.

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Follow me at @JonKauffman.

Tags:

factory farming, fish farming, salmon, superbugs
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