Microbiologist: A lethal strain of salmonella recently showed up in a European country, causing an outbreak of illness that killed two people and infected twenty-seven others. Investigators blame the severity of the outbreak on the overuse of antibiotics, since the salmonella bacteria tested were shown to be drug-resistant. But this is unlikely because patients in the country where the outbreak occurred cannot obtain antibiotics to treat illness without a prescription, and the country's doctors prescribe antibiotics less readily than do doctors in any other European country. Which of the following, if true, would most weaken the microbiologist's reasoning?
A: Salmonella has been shown to spread easily along the distribution chains of certain vegetables, such as raw tomatoes.
B: Use of antibiotics in two countries that neighbor the country where the outbreak occurred has risen over the past decade.
C: Physicians in the country where the outbreak occurred have become hesitant to prescribe antibiotics since they are frequently in short supply.
D: People in the country where the outbreak occurred often consume foods produced from animals that eat antibiotics-laden livestock feed.
Choose A, B, C or D as your solution.
D