We’re stuck with superbugs

Superbugs are bacteria that have become resistant to antibiotics. Bacteria become resistant because their rapid rate of reproduction (every twenty minutes) makes possible a high number of random genetic mutations. Thus, an antibiotic may kill plenty of bacteria, but not those whose mutations have rendered them immune to the drug.  The most well known of these is Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). MRSA originally appeared in intensive care units, among surgical patients, causing pneumonia and bloodstream infection from catheters. Now it’s become more widespread outside of hospitals. Other bacteria have also become resistant to antibiotics.

Some statistics:

• It costs $35,000 to treat MRSA; chance of death is over 20 percent.
• The number of people dying each year from resistant microbes is at least 1.5 million.
•  Antibiotics from human and animal waste end up in our drinking water, which makes for even more drug-resistant bacteria.
• Farm animals are routinely fed low doses of antibiotics; over 70 percent of medically important antibiotics in the US are sold for use in farm animals.

Drug companies are not knocking themselves out to discover new antibiotics—it’s not commercially attractive to them. We need to conserve those viable antibiotics we have. In other words, limit unnecessary use. Good luck with that.

For an introduction to this blog, see I Just Say No; for a list of blog topics, click the Topics tab.