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CDC Threat Report: ‘We Will Soon Be in a Post-Antibiotic Era’

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Re: CDC Threat Report: ‘We Will Soon Be in a Post-Antibiotic Era’

#61

Post by jtheory »

Evolution is such an important concept for people in general to understand. Bacteria evolve based on environmental factors (like varying levels of antibiotics), and that's eventually a very bad thing.

Viruses evolve as well, and the nasty viruses that we could eradicate entirely if we had good global vaccination coverage instead -- for a host of often-silly reasons -- get to explode in numbers in various outbreaks.

Even if a measles outbreak kills no one, it is still a huge increase in the amount of virus in the wild, and that means faster evolution.

I hate to imagine a parent who has been against vaccines (due to being duped by the anti-vaxxers) finding that their own local outbreak was the source for the super-measles virus, which isn't reliably stopped by vaccines and spreads like wildfire, or is more deadly than current strains.

Re: CDC Threat Report: ‘We Will Soon Be in a Post-Antibiotic Era’

#62

Post by speeder »

r0h1n wrote: post #34
velodrome wrote: post #4

People need stop using antibiotics for everything and use it only when necessary. When Drugs Stop Working-Norway's Answer: http://www.cbsnews.com/2100-205_162-6014559.html

> Norwegians are sanguine about their coughs and colds, toughing it out through low-grade infections. > "We don't throw antibiotics at every person with a fever. We tell them to hang on, wait and see, and we give them a Tylenol to feel better," says Haug. I wish more of us would follow this approach and learn to accept being 'sick' for a few days (or even a week) every now and then.

I do that, I avoid medicine, I do not remember why I took that policy (it was some years ago), but I did.

I only take medicine (even supplements) if a medic convince me it is absolutely necessary, or if I have a issue that is unbearable (like so much pain that make me want to suicide)

People here think I am crazy. :(

Re: CDC Threat Report: ‘We Will Soon Be in a Post-Antibiotic Era’

#63

Post by cvshepherd »

all the articles i've come across regarding this topic, fail to mention that there are well studied plant extracts / phytochemicals capable of dealing with antibiotic-resistant bacteria[1]. are these really not considered a viable option for treatment in the near future, or are there other reasons for neglecting to mention them in such articles?

[1] http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?pid=S1517-83822000000400003&...

Re: CDC Threat Report: ‘We Will Soon Be in a Post-Antibiotic Era’

#64

Post by route66 »

jtheory wrote: post #61

Evolution is such an important concept for people in general to understand. Bacteria evolve based on environmental factors (like varying levels of antibiotics), and that's eventually a very bad thing. Viruses evolve as well, and the nasty viruses that we could eradicate entirely if we had good global vaccination coverage instead -- for a host of often-silly reasons -- get to explode in numbers in various outbreaks. E…

Careful though, antibiotics are not directed against viruses but bacteria. These in turn are not being "preempted" by vaccination, to use a threading term for a threat.

http://health.howstuffworks.com/medicine/medication/question...

Re: CDC Threat Report: ‘We Will Soon Be in a Post-Antibiotic Era’

#65

Post by [deleted] »

smackay wrote: post #20
rurounijones wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That is the simple answer in a perfect world. I was more thinking of the political and economic effects, especially if there is a post-antibiotic problem which quickly decimates existing stocks.

Unless there is some kind of apocalypse (rinderpest making it to the USA due to global warming) then the decline in meat production might be (relatively) gradual. The main use of antibiotics in agriculture (AFAIK) is simply to aid fattening animals as they are sick for fewer days of the year and so can put on more weight. Reduce antibiotic use and the market weight of animals will decline and either prices will have…

[deleted]

Re: CDC Threat Report: ‘We Will Soon Be in a Post-Antibiotic Era’

#66

Post by r0h1n »

rdtsc wrote: post #53
r0h1n wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Norwegians are sanguine about their coughs and colds, toughing it out through low-grade infections. > "We don't throw antibiotics at every person with a fever. We tell them to hang on, wait and see, and we give them a Tylenol to feel better," says Haug. I wish more of us would follow this approach and learn to accept being 'sick' for a few days (or even a week) every now and then.

What I noticed in US is that people are very touchy about being uncomfortable. Doctors are supposed to "fix" problems and make things "comfortable". This usually means "give me antibiotics to kill this infections as fast as possible" and "give me more pain pills, I don't want to feel any slight discomfort". If doctor tells them to drink some hot tea and lay in bed instead they might just switch doctors who will give…

Alas it is an affliction that is spreading around the world. More and more people I meet are unwilling to tolerate any 'downtime' for minor illnesses like colds.

Re: CDC Threat Report: ‘We Will Soon Be in a Post-Antibiotic Era’

#67

Post by dspillett »

a8da6b0c91d wrote: post #54
aluhut wrote: post #33

I grew up in a former East Block country. Back then we had medical centers. If you were sick, you went there and they gave you something. Most of the time the solution was: Antibiotics. Because I was sick quite often, I can say I grew up on Antibiotics. When we moved to West Europe my mother made the mistake of chosing a doctor from our country (so she could uderstand what she says). So I continued to get antibiotics…

If you read Dr. Art Ayers he says antibiotic usage is almost a catastrophe for a person's health. The gut biome never fully recovers and the consequence is all kinds of strange inflammatory diseases, which of course are now epidemic in the West. http://coolinginflammation.blogspot.com/

Overuse of antibiotics has also been linked to some "slow development" abnormalities in children, it is suspected (or so a report mentioned in New Scientist says...) this is due to disruption the gut biome which in some cases can for a time disrupt how much energy the young'n' can extra from food which as some developmental stages could be quite a inconvenience. IIRC that report suggested that most of the affect kids seemed to catch up eventually, but it is probably something that warrants more detailed investigation.

Re: CDC Threat Report: ‘We Will Soon Be in a Post-Antibiotic Era’

#68

Post by PeterisP »

rurounijones wrote: post #7

while post anti-biotic sucks for humans directly. What about post-antibiotic for livestock which forms our food sources. If we can no longer raise as many cattle, pigs, sheep etc. then what are the global implications.

Currently, we'd be able to live if we can't raise cattle, pigs and sheep at all - there would be implications in culinary habits, food markets, and agricultural equipment changes caused by switching from livestock to food crops; but nothing that should cause a total economic crash or destroy food security.

Re: CDC Threat Report: ‘We Will Soon Be in a Post-Antibiotic Era’

#69

Post by aluhut »

VLM wrote: post #60
swombat wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't know how this is possible after my very hard childhood but I just don't get sick anymore. Sounds like whatever your doctors did worked miracles. No serious illness for 20 years? If this experiment could be repeated at scale, and proved to apply to others, everyone should receive the same antibiotics treatment you had!

Perhaps his parents smoked. Mine did. All kinds of respiratory problems as a kid, mysterious miracle cure at 19 when I moved out.

No my parents never smoke.

I did though.

Re: CDC Threat Report: ‘We Will Soon Be in a Post-Antibiotic Era’

#70

Post by throwaway812 »

route66 wrote: post #64
jtheory wrote: post #61

Evolution is such an important concept for people in general to understand. Bacteria evolve based on environmental factors (like varying levels of antibiotics), and that's eventually a very bad thing. Viruses evolve as well, and the nasty viruses that we could eradicate entirely if we had good global vaccination coverage instead -- for a host of often-silly reasons -- get to explode in numbers in various outbreaks. E…

Careful though, antibiotics are not directed against viruses but bacteria. These in turn are not being "preempted" by vaccination, to use a threading term for a threat. http://health.howstuffworks.com/medicine/medication/question...

GP made no claims about antibiotics and viruses. (S)he was simply going on a tangent about the problems with the anti-vaxx folks.
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