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Bacteria that resist 'last antibiotic' found in UK

bbc.com

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Re: Bacteria that resist 'last antibiotic' found in UK

#11

Post by TelmoMenezes »

mschuster91 wrote: post #5

How about the most obvious solution: Stop keeping (farm) animals in conditions that require mass antibiotic feedings for the animals to survive?!

We are going in the opposite direction. Currently the US has more lax regulations than the EU. In the EU animals have to be healthy all the way throughout their lives to be sold as food. In the US, you can keep them in miserable conditions and then pump them full of antibiotics before slaughtering.

Politicians are attempting to remove EU regulations against this under the guise of "removal of barriers to trade" with TTIP -- international trade agreements are the tool by which democracies are bypassed in such matters.

Re: Bacteria that resist 'last antibiotic' found in UK

#12

Post by mschuster91 »

placeybordeaux wrote: post #7
mschuster91 wrote: post #5

How about the most obvious solution: Stop keeping (farm) animals in conditions that require mass antibiotic feedings for the animals to survive?!

This needs to be done on a global scale and we haven't even made progress on that in the US. How do we start?

Well the current problematic situation of animals is relatively well contained to the Western sphere (US, EU, maybe China).

The Chinese already recognize the effects on nature, the EU too (and iirc they're already beginning to introduce measures), the biggest problem is and always will be the US because of the huge influence of the farming lobby on US politics (and even if that was not the case, then the grid-lock between D/R where everyone boycotts bills from the other side, just because. Brain-dead US politics.)

Re: Bacteria that resist 'last antibiotic' found in UK

#13

Post by jMyles »

placeybordeaux wrote: post #7
mschuster91 wrote: post #5

How about the most obvious solution: Stop keeping (farm) animals in conditions that require mass antibiotic feedings for the animals to survive?!

This needs to be done on a global scale and we haven't even made progress on that in the US. How do we start?

It sounds cruel, but I think we need to call people out when they eat factory meat.

Re: Bacteria that resist 'last antibiotic' found in UK

#14

Post by placeybordeaux »

mod wrote: post #8
themartorana wrote: post #2

Officials say the threat to human health is low, but is under ongoing review. I feel better? Is my kid going to live in a post-apocalyptic world where a new Black Plague has wiped out 2/3 of the population because it is completely antibiotic resistant? Or will new solutions (maybe ones that attack at a molecular level) be available first? I'm not asking rhetorically, any input would be awesome.

From what I've read, the antibiotics can be phased out, and then later, phased back in. Because the competition is so high, the bacteria can't afford the energy/resources to continue resistance to antibiotics that aren't in use--they are out-competed. Therefore, currently ineffective antibiotics will become effective again in the future. That said, I did not read if this is being practiced already.

The major problem here is not that there are not ways forward, but that we need to act together as a species to solve this problem. Development of drug resistance can happen anywhere that antibiotics are used and best practices are not observed everywhere.

An interesting first step might be to restrict some antibiotics to human use only. At least then we wouldn't be breeding resistance for cheaper meat.

Re: Bacteria that resist 'last antibiotic' found in UK

#15

Post by tptacek »

jMyles wrote: post #13
placeybordeaux wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This needs to be done on a global scale and we haven't even made progress on that in the US. How do we start?

It sounds cruel, but I think we need to call people out when they eat factory meat.

So, basically, shame low-income people?

Re: Bacteria that resist 'last antibiotic' found in UK

#16

Post by davidw »

mschuster91 wrote: post #12
placeybordeaux wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This needs to be done on a global scale and we haven't even made progress on that in the US. How do we start?

Well the current problematic situation of animals is relatively well contained to the Western sphere (US, EU, maybe China). The Chinese already recognize the effects on nature, the EU too (and iirc they're already beginning to introduce measures), the biggest problem is and always will be the US because of the huge influence of the farming lobby on US politics (and even if that was not the case, then the grid-lock be…

The article actually specifically calls out agriculture in China:

"The Chinese resistance cases were down to overuse of antibiotics in agriculture."

Re: Bacteria that resist 'last antibiotic' found in UK

#17

Post by legulere »

mschuster91 wrote: post #5

How about the most obvious solution: Stop keeping (farm) animals in conditions that require mass antibiotic feedings for the animals to survive?!

They don't even need as much antibiotics in today's extreme farms. It's just that you earn more money if you give the animals antibiotics: You don't have to monitor them and then give them antibiotics and they will even grow faster.

In Europe the rules are similar yet the antibiotics use varies drastically: http://i.imgur.com/9ybmhwE.jpg

Re: Bacteria that resist 'last antibiotic' found in UK

#18

Post by mschuster91 »

davidw wrote: post #16
mschuster91 wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well the current problematic situation of animals is relatively well contained to the Western sphere (US, EU, maybe China). The Chinese already recognize the effects on nature, the EU too (and iirc they're already beginning to introduce measures), the biggest problem is and always will be the US because of the huge influence of the farming lobby on US politics (and even if that was not the case, then the grid-lock be…

The article actually specifically calls out agriculture in China: "The Chinese resistance cases were down to overuse of antibiotics in agriculture."

Yes, but at least in China there is the political will to tackle environment issues. The US is still locked and highly corrupt :/

Re: Bacteria that resist 'last antibiotic' found in UK

#19

Post by giarc »

mschuster91 wrote: post #5

How about the most obvious solution: Stop keeping (farm) animals in conditions that require mass antibiotic feedings for the animals to survive?!

It's not only the living conditions that is promoting the use of antibiotics in agriculture. The use of antibiotics in agriculture is so high due to the idea of "growth promoters". Animals given long term antibiotics actually grow quicker, and therefore become profitable faster than animals not given background levels of antibiotics. The problem with this activity is that low levels of antibiotics selects for resistance as we have seen.

In addition, drugs are given "label use" directions for particular species (ie. ovine, swine, equine) but only for major economical species. For example, the farmer might have a bottle of long acting penicillin that says give horse X mg/kg of body weight. However, this farmer might be giving these drugs to sheep and the maker of the antibiotic doesn't have label use instructions for sheep. This results in what's called "extra label drug use" and the farmer has to basically guess at what dose to give. Too high could be harmful to the animal (toxicity, clearance rate etc), too low and you promote resistance.

Re: Bacteria that resist 'last antibiotic' found in UK

#20

Post by api »

mschuster91 wrote: post #5

How about the most obvious solution: Stop keeping (farm) animals in conditions that require mass antibiotic feedings for the animals to survive?!

That would reduce the profits of companies with large numbers of lobbyists.

Edit: and even if we did it in the West, China obviously doesn't care about making the inhabitants of its major cities huff heavy metals and coal dust so why would they care about this?

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