Post-Antibiotic Era

[Galant]

BBC

"The world is on the cusp of a "post-antibiotic era", scientists have warned after finding bacteria resistant to drugs used when all other treatments have failed.
They identified bacteria able to shrug off the drug of last resort - colistin - in patients and livestock in China.
They said that resistance would spread around the world and raised the spectre of untreatable infections.
It is likely resistance emerged after colistin was overused in farm animals."

"Prof Timothy Walsh, who collaborated on the study, from the University of Cardiff, told the BBC News website: "All the key players are now in place to make the post-antibiotic world a reality.
"If MRC-1 becomes global, which is a case of when not if, and the gene aligns itself with other antibiotic resistance genes, which is inevitable, then we will have very likely reached the start of the post-antibiotic era."

"Resistance to colistin has emerged before.
However, the crucial difference this time is the mutation has arisen in a way that is very easily shared between bacteria.
"The transfer rate of this resistance gene is ridiculously high, that doesn't look good," said Prof Mark Wilcox, from Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust."

"He said there was no single event that would mark the start of the antibiotic apocalypse, but it was clear "we're losing the battle"."

"Prof Wilcox told the BBC News website: "Do I fear we'll get to an untreatable organism situation? Ultimately yes.
"Whether that happens this year, or next year, or the year after, it's very hard to say."
Early indications suggest the Chinese government is moving swiftly to address the problem.
Prof Walsh is meeting both the agricultural and health ministries this weekend to discuss whether colistin should be banned for agricultural use."

"Prof Laura Piddock, from the campaign group Antibiotic Action, said the same antibiotics "should not be used in veterinary and human medicine".
She told the BBC News website: "Hopefully the post-antibiotic era is not upon us yet. However, this is a wake-up call to the world."
She argued the dawning of the post-antibiotic era "really depends on the infection, the patient and whether there are alternative treatment options available" as combinations of antibiotics may still be effective."

[Galant]

Implications?

'An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure?'

Maybe governments are going find that the general state of public health and fitness is a more serious issue than they think, and that dietary education, fitness and other aspects of human physical well-being are going to have to be taught and promoted a lot more, the food industry redirected somewhat, and the responsibility for fitness and health being given to everyone, instead of the notion that getting sick doesn't matter because we can just pop pills like there's no tomorrow?

[ik9000]

Implications?

'An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure?'

Maybe governments are going find that the general state of public health and fitness is a more serious issue than they think, and that dietary education, fitness and other aspects of human physical well-being are going to have to be taught and promoted a lot more, the food industry redirected somewhat, and the responsibility for fitness and health being given to everyone, instead of the notion that getting sick doesn't matter because we can just pop pills like there's no tomorrow?

If so then they should stop schools selling off playing fields, stop councils selling off parks, and make it mandatory everyone gets one afternoon off a week to actually have time to do sports.

[Galant]

If so then they should stop schools selling off playing fields, stop councils selling off parks, and make it mandatory everyone gets one afternoon off a week to actually have time to do sports.

I'd largely agree with the principle of the first two. A mandatory afternoon off wouldn't work.

[ik9000]

I'd largely agree with the principle of the first two. A mandatory afternoon off wouldn't work.

sure it would. The government passes a law and everyone has to do it. People said smoking outside wouldn't work...

France has a summer shut-down season, so do a few of their neighbours. It works, businesses adjust to work around it. All these things can be accommodated.

[shaithis]

Remote working needs to be pushed.

I remember working in London and 90% of the times I were ill, it was due to being packed into trains with lots of ill people around me and now I can still chalk up most of my illness to people coming into work with an illness and spreading it.

As someone who gets chest infections fairly easily, this is a pain and something that can be avoided in the first place with the proper controls and work ethics.


Although the resistant strains issue has been building up for years, I saw something a few years ago about certain drugs used in cancer treatment being useless in certain areas of Spain (and other European countries) due to over-use.....and we have been aware of the process of breeding super-strains by accelerating "survival of the fitness" in these nasties, for some time.

People not finishing their anti-biotic treatments hasn't helped either.

[big_hairy_rob]

Worrying times we live in, but I put it firmly down to the over prescription/over use of antibiotics.

[DDY]

A mandatory afternoon off wouldn't work.

I agree, there was a policy at my university that kept the same afternoon free every week for society and leisure activities. I never made the climbing or volleyball society meetings, I used the time to invite friends over, play video games and eat pizza.

[ik9000]

I agree, there was a policy at my university that kept the same afternoon free every week for society and leisure activities. I never made the climbing or volleyball society meetings, I used the time to invite friends over, play video games and eat pizza.

But it would give those of us who genuinely WANT to do something active the opportunity to do so. Up and out in the early morning to get the standing-room only commuter train. work a desk job 9-7, get train home. arrive 9pm-10pm depending if the train company decides to pull its finger out or not. Eat meal, quick chat with wife, go to bed. That is my life. It's not I don't want to use the gym, run, play squash, or the other things I enjoy doing. But I have to now squeeze these into weekends only. And if you have a family that is harder to balance. I long for an afternoon sport slot - in the part of the day when you have energy and could do something useful with it.

[Domestic_Ginger]

This has been known for 20 years.

Over perscription, incomplete courses and over the counter sales in the 3rd world are largely to blame.

No one to my knowledge has been developing new ones. Too expensive for governments.
Pharma aren't I terested in new ones. Generics undercut them. Development time vs patent expiry mean they have low profitability. Multinationals have bought up their competitors limiting the creative pool.

I'm not sure physical perfection is a barrier against bacterial infection.

[snedger]

Good to see that some of the posts managed to stay on topic
Does look like the overuse of colistin on pigs in China had got us there a bit sooner.
Was hoping that some new antibiotics would have been researched in time, but sadly not.
One way or the other an apocalyptic adjustment in human population size is going to result in a natural rebalance on the planet.
Time to really party.

[AGTDenton]

Oh well at least if something materialises it will be a kinder cull than one carried out by any government or terrorist through war or torture.

These days when I have a cold I don't give any medication, even Lemsip a look in and overall I'd say my colds are a lot less severe than they used to be. That's either luck, coincidence or an improved immune system. I still take a day off of course, wouldn't want to spread it and a day of catch up or Steam is welcomed.

I think mandatory time for activities is a good idea for non physical jobs, there are some companies who organise Yoga or some other morning exercise also allowing family members to join, makes a lot of sense. Of course these are elite companies and few and far between. But I think something should be done across the spectrum. It should also be adaptable, so staff can pick and choose what day/time they do it to fit around the work they are doing.
For smaller businesses that cant afford to host their own classes, the government/company we work for should provide us with 1 free session/class a week at some local gym. Gyms would likely benefit from an upsurge in more subscribers in the long term so it could be win win, or lose lose for Cadburys and Mars et al...

Working with computers I mainly sit in front of a screen all day. It sounds simple but being able to stand with good posture in slippers/trainers would be far better for my health.

[Phage]

There's a reason I chose this name

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phage_therapy

[snedger]

There's a reason I chose this name

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phage_therapy

What an interesting topic - especially like the idea that the phage virus will leave "good" bacteria intact - always hated the idea that taking antibiotics would kill all the good gut flora.
I'm still going to party - especially carrying on eating rare burgers - thanks a lot Ethan Burke of Wayward Pines for ordering a "bloody burger" and putting the stupid idea in my head - and not worry too much about e-coli consequences.

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

I think too many younger people are quick to ask doctors for antibiotics when they should just deal with having the flu - I could understand people who are immuno-compromised.

Parents also tending to be "clean freaks" for their children are not helping too,as people are growing up with compromised immune systems which cannot deal with the world outside.

However,I do think there is a level of sensationalism though about all of this too,and maybe the media and health agencies need to be promoting more practical solutions instead of PANIC STATIONS WE ARE ALL DOOOMED! DOOOOOOMED I SAY! MORE DOOOOOMED!

Although it might help with more funding I suppose!

If its not TERRORISTS WHO ARE DOOMING US,ITS SUPERBUGS,EBOLA WILL MUTATE AND KILL THE WORLD,AIDS WILL MUTATE AND KILL THE WORLD or the OIL RUNNING OUT,GLOBAL WARMING,NOT ENOUGH FOOD, WE ARE INUNDATED WITH IMMIGRANTS,THE ECONOMY IS SCREWED,WE HAVE NO MONEY DUE TO DEBT,THE RUSSIANS WILL INVADE AND NUKE US ALL,THE CHINESE WILL TAKE OVER THE WORLD,THE METHANE HYDRATE RESERVES WILL EXPLODE MAKING THE WORLD A DESERT PLANET,YELLOWSTONE WILL EXPLODE MAKING THE WORLD LIKE HOTH...

If we look at the next 30 years at what is meant to happen,we might as well not bother having children and give up surviving as a species.

I foresee an issue when all this negativity is going to just desensitise people and it will have the reverse effect.

People will just stop caring.

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

There is also another aspect to this - if people believe that modern medicine can't save them since everything is antibiotic resistant it drives them to quack medicines and maybe enough not to visit the doctor or hospital when they need to. Not all infections are bacterial in nature - many are viral and even though antibiotics are important,modern medicine is not just about antibiotics too.