Antibiotic resistance detected in the food chain could have implications for human health, new study finds

The study, shared exclusively with 7.30, was commissioned by animal rights not-for-profit World Animal Protection and carried out by researchers at Melbourne’s Monash University.

The researchers looked at how well antibiotics worked against bacteria in salmon and beef and also searched for what antibiotic-resistant genes the micro-organisms might be harbouring.

These genes can jump between bacteria, and from bacteria to humans through consumption.

Fifty-five per cent of the beef samples and 39 per cent of the salmon samples were found to be harbouring resistance to a range of commonly used antibiotics.