U.K. OFFICIALS STUDY SALMONELLA/CALF FEED LINK U.K. Officials are studying the possible link between the use of antibiotics in calf feeds and the spread of drug-resistant strains of salmonella in humans, a Ministry of Agriculture official said. A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine yesterday stated that the spread of an unusual strain of salmonella that is resistant to the drug chloramphenicol had been shown to be linked to farms that used the drug to promote the growth of cattle. The U.K. Ministry of Agriculture is working with the Department of Health and the Public Health Laboratory to investigate the whole subject of resistant strains of salmonella. "The Ministry of Agriculture is concerned about the possible effects on human and animal health," the official said. The government is also studying a recommendation from the Farm Animal Welfare Council (FAWC) to restrict the trade of calves under 56 days old through markets. The FAWC says this would help reduce the spread of salmonella.