New research shows that antibiotic-resistant infections can spread from livestock to humans, and Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-N.Y.) continues to fight to curb antibiotic overuse.

A groundbreaking study linking livestock to antibiotic-resistant bacteria is bolstering one congresswoman’s efforts to limit antibiotic use on farms.

A study published in the journal EMBO Molecular Medicine investigated the connection between methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)—a potentially lethal condition that typically begins with a skin infection—that has similar characteristics in both humans and livestock.

Researchers used whole genome sequencing to trace a mecC-MRSA infection in two humans in Denmark back to a livestock reservoir. Researchers found the same variations of the MRSA bacteria in livestock and farmers, meaning that it can be transmitted from animals to humans.

To Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-N.Y.), this latest study proves definitively that antibiotic-resistant bacteria can be transmitted from livestock to humans. She says the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) needs to face up to the “growing threat.”

“This study ends any debate,” she said. “The extreme overuse of antibiotics in livestock is endangering human health.”

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) states that controlling MRSA continues to be one of their top priorities and that life-threatening MRSA infections in healthcare settings declined 28 percent from 2005 to 2008.