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Resistance to last-resort antibiotic has now spread across globe

BobStackFan4Life

BobStackFan4Life

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An origin in China seems most probable as antibiotics are widely fed to animals to promote growth. The bulk of the 12,000 tonnes of colistin fed to livestock yearly around the world is used in China, say Liu and colleagues, which would favour the evolution of mcr-1. Antibiotic growth promoters have been banned in Europe precisely because they promote drug-resistant bacteria. Denmark, ironically, was among the first to ban them.
Worldwide concern

The drugs are still heavily used, however, to treat infections common in crowded livestock barns, such as diarrhoea. In 2012, the World Health Organization called colistin critically important for human health, meaning its use in animals should be limited to avoid promoting resistance. Yet in 2013, the European Medicines Agency reported that polymyxins were the fifth most heavily used type of antibiotic in European livestock.

Colistin is used in both humans and animals in India, says Abdul Ghafur of the Apollo Hospital in Chennai. The country is another hotbed of antibiotic resistance because of weak controls on the drugs. “I have treated colistin-resistant infections,” Ghafur says, and researchers in India plan to test bacterial samples for the gene.

“If mcr-1 is present in India then that will be a disaster,” says Ghafur, who fears it will spread as fast as did genes for resistance to another antibiotic of last resort, carbapenem.
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https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn28633-resistance-to-last-resort-antibiotic-has-now-spread-across-globe/
 
Absurd headline given what has actually happened (nothing).

Still, antibiotic resistance is scary.
 
I wonder why it's ironic that Denmark banned them. I don't wonder enough to actually read the article, but in the quoted blurb it's just sort of hanging there.
 
Factory farms definitely bear a lot of blame for antibiotic resistance, but physicians and hospitals may be worse.

There are provisions in the ACA that are supposed to enhance feedback from lab to clinic regarding germ theory. Right now, information generally just flows in one direction (clinic back to lab), and physicians just don't listen to the research about why it's bad to overprescribe antibiotics, or their duty to their patients overrides any sense of caution that may be harder to digest.
 
Every time we take a kid in for anything they want to give antibiotics. Kid has a fever? give him an antibiotic. hangnail? better take a amoxicillan!!!
 
TownieDeac said:
Factory farms definitely bear a lot of blame for antibiotic resistance, but physicians and hospitals may be worse.

There are provisions in the ACA that are supposed to enhance feedback from lab to clinic regarding germ theory. Right now, information generally just flows in one direction (clinic back to lab), and physicians just don't listen to the research about why it's bad to overprescribe antibiotics, or their duty to their patients overrides any sense of caution that may be harder to digest.
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Bullshit. Physicians are very clear on the risks involved in over-prescribing of abx.
 
Is the suberbug going to mutate into an advanced ebola strain?
 
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TownieDeac said:
Bullshit right back atcha. Why do they do it then?

Lots of countries are starting to legislate and monitor against over-prescribing because docs are lazy about it.

Here are UK guidelines - http://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/NG15/chapter/1-Recommendations#recommendations-for-prescribers

What part do you disagree with, exactly?
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What of part of what? The UK guidelines? There's really nothing with which to disagree; it basically says to try to use what's necessary and sufficient. I think he disagrees with your conjecture that doctors ignore research regarding antibiotic resistance; every doctor is aware of the dangers of resistance. But your praising of labs and bashing of doctors is like deriding someone in Greenland for building a fire in the winter when climate scientists clearly believe that such a measure could contribute to "global climate change." Obviously no one wants to willingly contribute to some cataclysm, but if it comes down to surviving the night, that Greenlander is pretty assuredly going to build a fire.

As for WakeandBake, I think it's hilarious that his perception is that it's the doctors trying to push medications whenever parents bring their children in for fevers or hangnails.
 
isn't this a topic that pourdeac would actually have some legit insight into
 
WalMartDeac said:
What of part of what? The UK guidelines? There's really nothing with which to disagree; it basically says to try to use what's necessary and sufficient. I think he disagrees with your conjecture that doctors ignore research regarding antibiotic resistance; every doctor is aware of the dangers of resistance. But your praising of labs and bashing of doctors is like deriding someone in Greenland for building a fire in the winter when climate scientists clearly believe that such a measure could contribute to "global climate change." Obviously no one wants to willingly contribute to some cataclysm, but if it comes down to surviving the night, that Greenlander is pretty assuredly going to build a fire.

As for WakeandBake, I think it's hilarious that his perception is that it's the doctors trying to push medications whenever parents bring their children in for fevers or hangnails.
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I'm delighted that you were amused at my perception of my own visits to doctors with my own kids.
 
TownieDeac said:
Except it's not conjecture at all and I'm not talking about the proper prescription of antibiotics.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/hea...Ps-admit-prescribing-useless-antibiotics.html

Or from JAMA: http://archinte.jamanetwork.com/mobile/article.aspx?articleid=1745694

I'm not trying to needlessly doctor bash, but it happens. The "soft touch" physicians are pressured by parents too.
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I don't at all deny that it happens. I was more responding to your calling bullshit on "physicians are very clear on the risks involved." Doctors know the risks but will rationalize exceptions for an individual patient. And yes, sometimes that rationalization is less than medically sound, such as: "It'll get this crazy patient out of my office sooner."

And again, to what does your "what part do you disagree with, exactly?" refer?
 
WalMartDeac said:
I don't at all deny that it happens. I was more responding to your calling bullshit on "physicians are very clear on the risks involved." Doctors know the risks but will rationalize exceptions for an individual patient. And yes, sometimes that rationalization is less than medically sound, such as: "It'll get this crazy patient out of my office sooner."

And again, to what does your "what part do you disagree with, exactly?" refer?
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We don't really disagree whatsoever WalMartDeac. I'm not arguing that docs are uninformed about antibiotic resistance. I think physicians are well-intentioned and ultimately want the best outcomes for their patients.

I was asking LK which part he disagreed with about my statement that doctors overprescribe antibiotics.
 
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