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Dual action antibiotic could make bacterial resistance nearly impossible

phys.org

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Re: Dual action antibiotic could make bacterial resistance nearly impossible

#31

Post by gcanyon »

zabzonk wrote: post #19

> 100 million times do you know how many bacteria, all mutating and swapping genes, there are out there? also, dual therapy, particularly for TB has been used for years, but TB is still with us.

But drug resistance is already really hard to develop. As you say, there are an almost unfathomable number of -- let's say staph -- bacteria running around, infecting millions of people per year, and still it's taken most of a century to develop MRSA. 100 million times might make MRSA v2 take millennia to arrive.

Re: Dual action antibiotic could make bacterial resistance nearly impossible

#32

Post by rscho »

amelius wrote: post #23
diath wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Last year I was hospitalized and quarantined for Tuberculosis, which is fairly strong against antibiotics so the antibiotic therapy is 6 months long (minimum), and that's precisely how I was treated, by combining first 4 then 2 antibiotics in order to prevent the bacteria from developing resistance, but you're right, it's super bad for your liver, I've seen heavy alcoholic patients in the same ward that were refused…

What's the best way to allow the liver to recover after such heavy medication?

Don't drink alcohol. Drink water. Eat healthy, not too much, mostly plants.

Re: Dual action antibiotic could make bacterial resistance nearly impossible

#33

Post by tristramb »

wkrsz wrote: post #4
didgeoridoo wrote: post #3

It’s unclear why the same benefit couldn’t be achieved by mixing two traditional antibiotics with different mechanisms of action. Maybe the combined dosage would stress the liver too much?

Bacteria can develop resistance to individual antibiotic mechanism. Then two strains can swap resistance genes to produce a super-bug: https://asm.org/articles/2023/january/plasmids-and-the-sprea... My understanding is that in this case bacteria would have to develop resistance to two mechanisms at the same time, which is much more difficult. Mandatory quote: "Life, uh, finds a way"

"Evolution is smarter than you are" - Francis Crick

Re: Dual action antibiotic could make bacterial resistance nearly impossible

#34

Post by wafflemaker »

diath wrote: post #10
didgeoridoo wrote: post #3

It’s unclear why the same benefit couldn’t be achieved by mixing two traditional antibiotics with different mechanisms of action. Maybe the combined dosage would stress the liver too much?

Last year I was hospitalized and quarantined for Tuberculosis, which is fairly strong against antibiotics so the antibiotic therapy is 6 months long (minimum), and that's precisely how I was treated, by combining first 4 then 2 antibiotics in order to prevent the bacteria from developing resistance, but you're right, it's super bad for your liver, I've seen heavy alcoholic patients in the same ward that were refused…

Can I inquire where that was? If you don't want to share the location, maybe you care to share more about the story? Looks interesting.

Re: Dual action antibiotic could make bacterial resistance nearly impossible

#35

Post by jncfhnb »

I’ve heard for years that antibiotic resistant bacteria don’t really seem to be a threat because they tend not be very successful in the wild. Like it’s going to be, at best, a very localized outbreak because competitive pressures don’t reward the trade offs. That’s still true?

Re: Dual action antibiotic could make bacterial resistance nearly impossible

#36

Post by MobileVet »

hasperdi wrote: post #28
gcanyon wrote: post #27

[flagged]

There's a bit of preaching at the end. What a turn off

It is fairly difficult to be perfectly objective about everything we discuss. We all bring our own bias and experiences to just about everything we do and say.

In Dustin’s case, he is being open about his background and perspective. Isn’t that more commendable than trying to feign objectivity?

Clearly you can agree or disagree but being annoyed at his transparency seems to neglect consideration for the alternative.

Re: Dual action antibiotic could make bacterial resistance nearly impossible

#37

Post by discretion22 »

amelius wrote: post #23
diath wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Last year I was hospitalized and quarantined for Tuberculosis, which is fairly strong against antibiotics so the antibiotic therapy is 6 months long (minimum), and that's precisely how I was treated, by combining first 4 then 2 antibiotics in order to prevent the bacteria from developing resistance, but you're right, it's super bad for your liver, I've seen heavy alcoholic patients in the same ward that were refused…

What's the best way to allow the liver to recover after such heavy medication?

A question for a doctor for sure.

But Wikipedia has a long article on Hepatotoxicity[0] and that suggests discontinuation of the drugs involved can allow the liver to heal (if discontinued early enough).

As a patient, you need to be conscious to ask questions and retain at least some control over your treatment whenever you can. If you're overwhelmed by what you are being told or concerned about the planned course of treatment, always ask questions, especially about long term implications and risks and how those are addressed. Generally doctors like being asked about medical things and are willing to answer when they are able. [Individual experiences may vary etc.]

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hepatotoxicity

Re: Dual action antibiotic could make bacterial resistance nearly impossible

#39

Post by sva_ »

jncfhnb wrote: post #35

I’ve heard for years that antibiotic resistant bacteria don’t really seem to be a threat because they tend not be very successful in the wild. Like it’s going to be, at best, a very localized outbreak because competitive pressures don’t reward the trade offs. That’s still true?

They are a problem for people who are immunocompromised. In particular they spread in hospital settings.

Re: Dual action antibiotic could make bacterial resistance nearly impossible

#40

Post by whatever1 »

jncfhnb wrote: post #35

I’ve heard for years that antibiotic resistant bacteria don’t really seem to be a threat because they tend not be very successful in the wild. Like it’s going to be, at best, a very localized outbreak because competitive pressures don’t reward the trade offs. That’s still true?

My close relative almost died from one.

He caught it in the hospital after a routine surgery. His condition deteriorated dramatically, was in a comma for a couple of days but thankfully survived.

After he recovered they could still detect the bacteria dormant in the liver for three years, at which point he re entered the hospital to start a heavier multi-antibiotic treatment plan that could potentially evict the bacteria but could also cost his liver.

He won after all, but his health condition overall never returned to the original.

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