It’s like a zombie movie come to life: Researchers have found a potentially deadly strain of antibiotic-resistant bacteria that can jump from animals to humans and they say its creation may be credited to the use of antibiotics in livestock feed.

A new study published in mBio, a journal of the American Society for Microbiology, shows how a Staph germ passed from humans into pigs, where it became resistant to some important antibiotics. Then, gulp, the antibiotic-resistant germ jumped back to humans.

"It's like watching the birth of a superbug," Lance Price of the Translational Genomics Research Institute, told NPR’s Richard Knox.

According to USA Today:

This resistance is likely caused by the widespread use of antibiotics in livestock to prevent infection and promote growth, said the authors of the study published online Feb. 21 in the journal mBio.

Before you go hoarding canned goods and ammunition, it’s worth remembering that most Staph found in meat can be eliminated by cooking food well.

As we’ve reported, some health groups are pushing farmers to reduce their antibiotic use on the farm. Last month, the FDA tightened its regulations on the use of antibiotics in livestock, but that pertained only to off-label uses of the drugs. Many farmers only treat animals with vaccinations and antibiotics when it is medically necessary.

Many livestock groups (NPR provides this link from the American Meat Institute) say there’s no evidence that using antibiotics in livestock feed creates health problems for humans and that may be true. But this new report will surely re-ignite the debate.