The superbug that doctors have been dreading just reached the U.S.
Source: Washington Post
May 26 at 2:27 PM
For the first time, researchers have found a person in the United States carrying a bacteria resistant to antibiotics of last resort, an alarming development that the top U.S. public health official says could mean "the end of the road" for antibiotics.
The antibiotic-resistant strain was found last month in the urine of a 49-year-old Pennsylvania woman. Department of Defense researchers determined that carried a strain of E. coli resistant to the antibiotic colistin, according to a study published Thursday in Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, a publication of the American Society for Microbiology. The authors wrote that the discovery "heralds the emergence of a truly pan-drug resistant bacteria."
Colistin is the antibiotic of last resort for particularly dangerous types of superbugs, including a family of bacteria known as CRE, which health officials have dubbed "nightmare bacteria." In some instances, these superbugs kill up to 50 percent of patients who become infected. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has called CRE among the country's most urgent public health threats.
<snip>
It basically shows us that the end of the road isnt very far away for antibiotics -- that we may be in a situation where we have patients in our intensive-care units, or patients getting urinary tract infections for which we do not have antibiotics, CDC Director Tom Frieden in an interview Thursday.
Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-health/wp/2016/05/26/the-superbug-that-doctors-have-been-dreading-just-reached-the-u-s/
Jackie Wilson Said
(4,176 posts)riversedge
(69,730 posts)tonyt53
(5,737 posts)Hekate
(90,202 posts)byronius
(7,369 posts)No one could possibly be that ignorant.
FrodosPet
(5,169 posts)But NEVER underestimate the ignorance of the America people. Millions of Trump supporters stand ready to show you are wrong.
Hortensis
(58,785 posts)grants at the time of the "sequester," on top of many other previous cutbacks, forcing the abandonment in many cases of lines of research that simply could not be stopped and restarted later. All in the name of cutting government waste.
Sometimes I want to bash people over the head with the mirrors they refuse to look into when they start complaining about how stupid and incompetent the government is and that it only serves the wealthy.
On the plus side for most of us, those most at risk are typically chronically ill and in and out of hospitals where it spreads via mechanical ventilation and other things healthy people are typically not exposed to.
WhiteTara
(29,676 posts)don't you know...
philosslayer
(3,076 posts)n/t
RoccoR5955
(12,471 posts)Then again it might be Hilliary's
7962
(11,841 posts)I have relatives who will take some thats been in the cabinet for a year if they sneeze 3 times. They dont listen when you tell them it could hurt them down the road
Overuse of antibiotics is what CREATED the Super Bugs.
Even if you don't use them yourself, you are exposed to antibiotics through drinking water and meat products from incredibly filthy and germ laden Factory Farms.
Mbrow
(1,090 posts)Doremus
(7,261 posts)fasttense
(17,301 posts)As a sheep farmer, I raise sheep without antibiotics, hormones or other chemicals on grass, with no Feedlots. And guess what? They all live and reach a good slaughtering age and weight with a delicious flavor. No problems. I've done this with a few head of cattle and free range chickens too.
Yes, 2 of my sheep had to be given antibiotics for major injuries (that's about 2% of my flock). But I used them as breeders and not for food.
So it's really not that hard to raise animals for slaughter without giving them antibiotics. What the cattle, pork and chicken industries do is confine their animals, feed them unnatural foods and chemicals to stimulate rapid growth. This creates the perfect environment for illnesses and injuries. So, they give them antibiotics to keep them from getting ill. They also give them antibiotics to speed up their growth rate. it seems you can get a 10% increase in weight of an animal if you continually feed it low levels of antibiotics.
But you get perfectly acceptable size without that constant feeding of antibiotics. And I believe the flavor is much richer. So instead of feeding them antibiotics, you could just raise 10 extra sheep for every 100 sheep and you would get that extra 10% anyway. Continual dosing of antibiotics for livestock is a crutch for lazy farmers.
villager
(26,001 posts)In fact, if someone suggests that maybe we should, we "progressives" can make a bunch of snarky comments in reply...!
Hortensis
(58,785 posts)glinda
(14,807 posts)Hortensis
(58,785 posts)in this case for this group of people. Use of carbapenem antibiotics against Enterobacteriaceae infections of chronically ill and immunocompromised people in hospitals and care facilities did lead to development of the CREs. However, what were they supposed to do? Not treat them?
Usually when we speak of overuse of antibiotics we're talking about prescriptions passed out irresponsibly whenever someone got a sore throat. And, yes, of course most of these are the very antibiotics most overused in the general population, but, from what I've read, that use didn't bring us all the way to this point. They were mostly refined to their current severely dangerous forms in hospitals by treatment with antibiotics of people who were already seriously ill from other conditions, and by failure of the hospitals to keep infections from spreading through proper hygiene, developing these deadly cycles of evolution.
As it is, most of us are pretty safe from them so far. Most of these deadly infections are contracted in hospitals by people already in frail condition.
glinda
(14,807 posts)bemildred
(90,061 posts)leveymg
(36,418 posts)Little Star
(17,055 posts)Jack Bone
(2,023 posts)vkkv
(3,384 posts)By feeding anti-biotics to OUR ANIMAL MEAT FOOD we are creating the very scenario we should be trying to avoid.
closeupready
(29,503 posts)Stupid shit is what people DO.
MynameisBlarney
(2,979 posts)valerief
(53,235 posts)cui bono
(19,926 posts)I never will understand how myopic they can be.
.
valerief
(53,235 posts)6chars
(3,967 posts)they do a lot more farm anti-biotics than we do now.
vkkv
(3,384 posts)Locrian
(4,522 posts)LeftyMom
(49,212 posts)There's a cultural expectation that if you're sick you'll go to the doctor and get an injection. Vitamins, antibiotics, something, the doctor just needs to show an effort to make you better. Until the early 2000s you couldn't even count on getting a clean needle in a lot of places, so people would go get a useless shot to treat a cold and wind up with hepatitis.
Edit: Found the article I read about this fifteen years ago! What did we ever do without the internet?
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/08/20/international/asia/20CHIN.html?pagewanted=all
glinda
(14,807 posts)pour money into the fossil fuel industry for all of the transport?
cheapdate
(3,811 posts)have chicken plants scattered all over the country. There's one near here in Shelbyville, TN. By all accounts it's a horrible place to work.
glinda
(14,807 posts)Victor_c3
(3,557 posts)They were going to give me a starting salary of $87,000 while the rest of the companies I interviewed with offered me around $65,000. I thought about it until I came to the realization that there was probably a reason they were going to pay me so much - it must be a really shitty job. Needless to say I took a job working for Amazon.com - which still sucked but I'm sure it beat working in a slaughterhouse.
paleotn
(17,781 posts)....in much of the developing world.
w0nderer
(1,937 posts)YOHABLO
(7,358 posts)FrodosPet
(5,169 posts)The sweet little lady turns 5 today!
Now we gotta figure out how to NOT fuck up this planet through warfare, environmental damage, and theocracy, so she and all the other children around the world have a chance to live full lives.
kcass1954
(1,819 posts)FrodosPet
(5,169 posts)Congratulations!
Javaman
(62,444 posts)go to google and see the animation.
Laser102
(816 posts)sulphurdunn
(6,891 posts)glinda
(14,807 posts)sick for over a year with pneumonia at one point. I doused him with organic Oregano oil in coconut oil orally and it may have cured it. All the antibiotics he was on failed him. it became a superbug. He is old and still recovering but a far cry for where he used to be.
LeftyMom
(49,212 posts)I feel bad for your dog.
glinda
(14,807 posts)He was a very bad shape and hundreds of dollars of tests and treatments failed him. It was a very dramatic change for the better as we were out of options. He eats well and coughs tons less and no longer has blood in his urine at all.
Learned about it because they are testing it on chicken farms that have had drug resistant E-coli and it has been effective so far.
Your dog did not have pneumonia for a year. If he did he'd have died. If he was that sick for a year and you didn't put him down you're a terrible dog owner.
If you don't know if your dog has pneumonia or not ("he coughs less" is not a chest x ray) you need to take him to the vet.
Coconut oil and oregano oil aren't medicine. Essential oils aren't even safe to take orally. Giving a dog a ton of fat (like coconut oil) is a good way to give him pancreatitis.
Dogs are not chickens. Chicken farms only need to keep broilers alive and growing for six weeks and they can't sell chickens they give actual medicine. Do better by your dog.
glinda
(14,807 posts)He only had pneumonia for a short time not the whole year. Most Vets are not able to properly diagnose pneumonia in dogs btw. They just guess.
You are being nasty actually. I care immensely for my pets and have had the highest recommendations from the top Vet in the State. I do take deepest offense to your attack and accusations because my pets are my children and I care more for them than you know. I also find offensive terms like "put him down". I do not allow animals to suffer and he is happy, attentive and eats well for a 15 year old Springer who is handicapped also.
I know how to use the oil and how long in order to not damage him also.
You need not reply to my posts any more since I found your comments hurtful. You do not know how much I have done for animals and you do not know me. I have helped over 100 animals and raised money for a shelter when did not know how to. I have devoted my life to animals and the environment. You are aggressively responding and rude. I saved his life.
lakeguy
(1,639 posts)i hope not.
snappyturtle
(14,656 posts)Odin2005
(53,521 posts)Surya Gayatri
(15,445 posts)byronius
(7,369 posts)Very powerful book on this very subject.
We're at war and we don't even realize it. Microbes in the average human body outnumber the human cells, and they're quite good at genetic surgery when they feel inclined.
Too bad we don't fund science like we fund the military, hey? Priorities.
inanna
(3,547 posts)as well as your thoughts.
~A very worried Inanna
SheilaT
(23,156 posts)If I were dictator of North America that would absolutely be one of the books I'd require everyone to read. And discuss. And pass a quiz on. No Cliff Notes allowed.
deathrind
(1,786 posts)Baitball Blogger
(46,576 posts)"Oh, it's just a little urinary tract infection."
Myrina
(12,296 posts)Newkularblue
(130 posts)Warpy
(110,913 posts)Once they figure out how to deliver UV light into the urinary tract without damaging the tissue, quite possibly with a nano pump circulating fluid around a shielded UV light source, they'll be able to fight this one effectively. Even light tolerant e coli are eventually killed by enough UV exposure, one reason this species has been used so extensively in research: a mad scientist who tried to release a super pathogenic e coli onto a salad bar would only kill it quickly under the strong lighting.
Sadly, this is the first of many superbugs. Antibiotics will continue to be useful in many infections but their usefulness will decrease over time. Either we need to use specific strategies on specific bugs, or we'll be back to the bad old times of waves of different plagues sweeping across humanity. E coli is very vulnerable to UV light, all we need is some whiz kid with an NIH grant to invent the gadget.
Hortensis
(58,785 posts)of climbing on my potting table under the grow lights hoping some would transilluminate, I take it that wouldn't work. As long as it goes away and doesn't return as a really stupid dream.
Warpy
(110,913 posts)Now I need brain bleach, too.
Strong UV light kills most bacteria. The problem is that it has to be strong enough to damage healthy tissue, also. That's why we need the whiz kid with the NIH grant to invent the appropriate gadget.
In the meantime, I hope that hospital has one of these:
glinda
(14,807 posts)undergroundpanther
(11,925 posts)Bots and the human escorts that were teaching it the
Hospital layout. It says hello and to not touch it.and that its a germicidal robot.it can see you.
glinda
(14,807 posts)I have seen nothing like this in MN. Maybe they have such things in Rochester at Mayo but not most Hospitals here.
undergroundpanther
(11,925 posts)Was at hopkins
Warpy
(110,913 posts)Big city hospitals have them, it's a way to keep housekeeping staff cut to the bone instead of hiring enough to sterilize a room after a patient with a superbug has been discharged.
There are competing models that aren't nearly this fancy. As antibiotics continue to be less useful, I think all medical facilities will eventually use a variation of them.
paleotn
(17,781 posts)glinda
(14,807 posts)jtuck004
(15,882 posts)Response to inanna (Original post)
Turbineguy This message was self-deleted by its author.
blackspade
(10,056 posts)Which is why we are in this mess to begin with....
elljay
(1,178 posts)The rest of it comes from people who insist on antibiotics when they have colds and the doctors who prescribe them to shut them up, doctors who automatically prescribe them to patients rather than figure out what may be wrong, and people who do not finish their doses. The latter is particularly common with addicts, prisoners, homeless and poor people who require (but don't get) support services to make sure they take all their medication. His crisis has been brewing for decades.
blackspade
(10,056 posts)Antibiotics used for cattle dwarfs that for humans.
bvar22
(39,909 posts)and most Feed Stores.
There are no questions, no accountability, no tracking, and no supervision on how these antibiotics are used by those raising livestock, many of whom lack even a high school education.
Most believe that "If a little is good, a lot is better!",
and almost all will try administering these antibiotics if their livestock shows signs of ANY illness because trying that is cheaper than calling a vet.
blackspade
(10,056 posts)But the M$M focuses on the human over prescription as the main cause.
Focusing on the ag aspect of overuse would be uncomfortable for corporations.
dembotoz
(16,740 posts)soooooooo
maybe we need to start thinking like we are immune suppressed.
have a friend who fairly recently had a double lung transplant and my first wife had chemo a couple times for leuikemia years ago
we compared notes. These patients need to be careful because what is minor illness for you is more serious if you have a suppressed immune response.
lets see....
NO salad bars period
NO pot luck dinners
NO buffets
not fond of picnics
not fond of salads in gerneral or raw veggies...cooked veggies are happy veggies....
i remember tacos in particular my our oncologist squirm....they have raw lettuce and such.
in general if it looks healthy don't eat it
the risk is not worth it.
GoneOffShore
(17,309 posts)bvar22
(39,909 posts)....or grow it yourself.
Our food gardens are well fenced.
We are very careful with our compost, and don't use it until it is well "cooked".
The occasional bird may fly over and crap on something, but that can be washed off,
which we are also careful to do.....except when we pick Strawberries and eat them right in the garden, warmed by the sun at the perfect moment of ripeness.
We irrigate with the same Ozark Spring Water most people buy in the stored for $1Dollar or more/gallon.
Some Mexican crops are irrigated with sewer water....wouldn't touch those, but most veggies aren't labeled in the stores, and there is tremendous corporate resistance to Country of Origin labeling,
which is one reason why we voted for this guy:
JDPriestly
(57,936 posts)Just prevent them.
Response to inanna (Original post)
Name removed Message auto-removed
SusanCalvin
(6,592 posts)And I'm orders of magnitude more scared now than I was then.
DebbieCDC
(2,542 posts)I stopped taking any antibiotics at all, except for very brief periods post-major surgery. I may not have the greatest immune system in the world, but at least it won't be further compromised by taking needless doses of antibiotics.
Fantastic Anarchist
(7,309 posts)The anti-biotic resistant strains see already it out there. Your immune response is totally separate from superbug that is already created ... outside of your immune system.
Auggie
(31,067 posts)NorthCarolina
(11,197 posts)natures antibiotic.
MattBaggins
(7,894 posts)Ruby the Liberal
(26,217 posts)Marty McGraw
(1,024 posts)LeftyMom
(49,212 posts)of compounds various molds and such already make that kill other microbes.
Colliodal silver is a poison.
glinda
(14,807 posts)They want control over even the smallest of natural supportive aids and substances. This has been in court lately. Very unfortunate as they may well prevent people from having access to what may help them.
skepticscott
(13,029 posts)"Has never been proven to do anything useful, but it sounds really nice".
Odin2005
(53,521 posts)Avalon Sparks
(2,538 posts)After discovering colloidal silver. Even when everyone around me is sick. Taking a couple of tablespoons for a few days works everything. Prior, I used to get colds and flus on probably an average basis, but most turned into bronchitis, a little gargling with it and I've never had bronchitis again. It's the only thing I use on cuts or other skin maladies. I don't make my own and I don't sell it (not affiliated). I've read all the counter information and I'd still swear by it.
NorthCarolina
(11,197 posts)I really just ignore adverse comments because I know they speak from ignorance on the subject. Thousands of years of history stand in contrast to their rebuttals.
Odin2005
(53,521 posts)Doremus
(7,261 posts)Sucks for the rest of us, but at least for once the oligarchs are going to have to lay in the beds they made. I know of no ivory tower high enough to protect them from this.
roamer65
(36,739 posts)In the meantime, live life to its fullest. Savor each precious moment as if it was your last one, because it very well could be.
Remember this...the average life expectancy in the US in 1900 was only 47 years. We literally are cheating death beyond that age now.
pansypoo53219
(20,908 posts)eat stuff that falls on the ground. well dry stuff.
germaphobes are gonna kill us.
rhett o rick
(55,981 posts)sure as hell won't.
Stonepounder
(4,033 posts)1. Antibiotic resistant germs. But pharmaceutical companies make millions.
2. Bees dying out due to pesticides. But chemical companies make millions.
3. Fracking is poisoning our water. But oil companies make millions.
4. Climate change is destroying the biosphere. But the .01% is making billions.
I would really hate to be my grand-children because I have a feeling they are really going to hate us.
Bayard
(21,806 posts)This story was on the news right after more Trump coverage earlier. Between the two, its becoming strangely like Steven King's, The Stand. Most of the world is wiped out by a super bug, and a satanic leader rises up to go after the decent people left.
HuskyOffset
(885 posts)Before you panic, please read this over at Ars Technica:
No, this isnt the start of the antibiotic apocalypse, just bad reporting
Ars Technica is an excellent site, highly recommended.
flying rabbit
(4,612 posts)EvolveOrConvolve
(6,452 posts)redstatebluegirl
(12,264 posts)NIH and NSF funding has been on the Republican's radar for the past few years. There is great research going on across the country in various research labs on college campuses and industry. They are ALL underfunded due to the hatred of "smart people" and science (much of that linked to scientists who are fighting global warming).
I know for sure that there are at least two labs on our campus doing research on these bugs, both are very close to finding an answer but both are underfunded.
I'm not sure when it became mainstream to hate people who are smart and doing great science but it is not in the best interest of our country.
ffr
(22,649 posts)Tikki
(14,539 posts)but, I haven't had an UTI since I started taking showers and quit taking baths.
Tikki
yellowcanine
(35,692 posts)It is a bacteria resistant to colistin, an antibiotic of last resort, but it is susceptible to other antibiotics, so by definition, not a superbug.
The mutant E. coli germ was found in a Pennsylvania woman with symptoms of a urinary tract infection, but it does not appear to be spreading at epidemic proportions. And it was susceptible to other antibiotics, so the patient was not left without any hope.
http://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/nightmare-bacteria-superbug-found-first-time-u-s-n581096
ibeplato
(66 posts)Dont call me Shirley
(10,998 posts)Odin2005
(53,521 posts)...fortunately it was a perfectly normal strain treatable with common antibiotics. This shit terrifies me because without those antibiotics I would likely be an amputee, or even dead.