Industrial chicken farming accelerating spread of diarrhoea bacteria, study finds

Intensive nature of modern chicken farming creates ideal conditions for campylobacter, allowing bacteria to evolve

Industrial chicken farming is accelerating the spread of the world’s most common bacterial cause of diarrhoea, scientists have found.

The study found a dramatic increase in the exchange of campylobacter strains between wild birds and chickens as farming has intensified, creating the ideal conditions for the bacteria to mix, spread and acquire new traits. There has also been a rise in antimicrobial resistance traits in circulating strains, raising concerns that serious illness in people will be more difficult to treat.