Click the play button on the video window to the see the storyA scientist at the University of Arizona said 40 percent of all meat sold at retail grocery stores in 2006 had a superbug.
It's called C. diff or Clostridium difficile, a potentially deadly intestinal germ.
According to Glenn Songer, Professor of Veterinary Science at U of A, this superbug can be found in hospitals, but it can also be found in soil and water.
"Our overall working hypothesis is that Clostridium difficile is transferable from food animals to humans by way of retail meat," said Songer.
To prove that theory, he's teaming up with the Arizona Department of Health Services to make C. diff laboratory reportable.
That means when there are human cases he will be able to look at a sample and compare that with samples from food and animals.
But before you panic, he said there's one important thing to consider.
He said every time you eat meat, you ingest bacteria.
Therefore, he said the likelihood of a serious illness from C. diff is slim.
"There's nothing in the evidence that makes me feel like I need to change my eating habits."
If you would like to learn more, or contribute to this research, you can contact Professor Songer at the University of Arizona at
mailto://gsonger@u.arizona.edu.
