A March 11 New York Times op-ed piece, "Our pigs, our food, our health" raises the question of whether industrial hog farms contribute to the spread of MRSA.

Columnist Nicholas D. Kristof points out Dr. Thomas Anderson raised that suspicion after seeing a high number of MRSA cases at his family practice in Camden. Kristoff planned to meet with Dr. Anderson in Camden but the doctor died unexpectedly last November.

Dr. Anderson reportedly told Kristoff that he was ready to go on the record about his suspicion that area hog farms were contributing to the spread of the disease.

MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) is a staph infection that is resistant to antibiotics. It is often called a superbug.

Kristof said in his opinioneditorial article that the "uncertainties are huge" and that the cases in Camden were never reported to the health department.

In response to Kristoff's article, a press released was issued March 13 by Purdue University. Paul Ebner and Ching Ching Wu, experts on antibiotic resistance, are quoted as saying that even though animals can be carriers of MRSA, the majority of infections come from skin-toskin contact with infected humans. They said that trying to establish pigs as "a source of MRSA infection for humans is 'highly speculative.'"

Wu is professor of veterinary pathobiology and head of microbiology in Purdue's Animal Disease and Diagnostic Laboratory, while Ebner is a livestock microbiologist and assistant professor of animal sciences.

Kristof's article is available online at http://www.nytimes. com/2009/03/12/opinion/ 12kristof.html?emc=eta1