"The superbug that could render antibiotics useless just hit the US"

[Captain Snooze]

Originally Posted by Mr.ac

As far as credibility that site is, as a rule I don't take it seriously if they have **** growing pills as their ads. Which they do.

Originally Posted by themadscientist

I was thinking about that analytic thing, awkward!

lolol

[themadscientist]

Retreat to Helms Deep!

[Ashikabi]

Originally Posted by themadscientist

That actually makes me happier. I'm a casual prepper and a loose social contract away from going road warrior. Any reason to rock a codpiece.

I second the codpiece but I think you need the great quads and abs to frame it properly

[mdm]

Originally Posted by Captain Snooze

I will disagree here.
This is news. There has been a discovery made of something that didn't knowingly exist in the U.S. before. It has the potential to be nasty.
The article is not overly sensationalistic imo. It is reasonably factual.

Yes, it is pretty serious.


Mind you, the bacteria is resistant to a last-resort antibiotic, which is normally used to save people infected with certain bacteria which are resistant to most existing antibiotics.


More importantly, this is plasmid-based resistance, meaning it can transfer relatively easily to other types of bacteria.


Meaning, that the time when people become infected with bacteria which cannot be treated in any way, is nigh.

Of course, it's not the end of the world, we've been there before. Basically that was the situation before the 1920s or 1930s (when sulfonamides and first antibiotics came into use). So basically throughout human history. But that was the time when infections that today are no big deal, were harmful and often fatal. Also, many modern medical procedures are only possible because we have good means to fight bacterial infections. If we cannot do that, these procedures will be gone.

So we may be sson in a pretty deep sh*t. Say thank you to:
1. irresponsible users, who do not follow antibiotic regimes, stop their therapies eraly, or take antibiotics willy-nilly
2. irresponsible doctors, who prescribe antibiotics when they are not needed.
3. large-scale farming practicies, or more importantly lax regulation thereof, which allows using antibiotics in healthy farm animals just as a preventive measure, or because growth is faster when on antibiotics
4. capitalism, because return on investement into developing antibiotics is small. A person normally takes a few 5-day or 10-day antibiotic courses over their life, so pharma companies prefer to allocate more resources to creating drugs that you take over long period of time, often daily for a lifetime.

[Ashikabi]

Originally Posted by mdm

Yes, it is pretty serious.


Mind you, the bacteria is resistant to a last-resort antibiotic, which is normally used to save people infected with certain bacteria which are resistant to most existing antibiotics.


More importantly, this is plasmid-based resistance, meaning it can transfer relatively easily to other types of bacteria.


Meaning, that the time when people become infected with bacteria which cannot be treated in any way, is nigh.

Of course, it's not the end of the world, we've been there before. Basically that was the situation before the 1920s or 1930s (when sulfonamides and first antibiotics came into use). So basically throughout human history. But that was the time when infections that today are no big deal, were harmful and often fatal. Also, many modern medical procedures are only possible because we have good means to fight bacterial infections. If we cannot do that, these procedures will be gone.

So we may be sson in a pretty deep sh*t. Say thank you to:
1. irresponsible users, who do not follow antibiotic regimes, stop their therapies eraly, or take antibiotics willy-nilly
2. irresponsible doctors, who prescribe antibiotics when they are not needed.
3. large-scale farming practicies, or more importantly lax regulation thereof, which allows using antibiotics in healthy farm animals just as a preventive measure, or because growth is faster when on antibiotics
4. capitalism, because return on investement into developing antibiotics is small. A person normally takes a few 5-day or 10-day antibiotic courses over their life, so pharma companies prefer to allocate more resources to creating drugs that you take over long period of time, often daily for a lifetime.

So it can't be treated or can't be treated *yet*?

[mav1178]

Originally Posted by themadscientist

I was thinking about that analytic thing, awkward!

I opened the link in an incognito window, here's what the ads show:

1) "Vote Bernie" paid for by National Nurses United for Patient Protection
2) Capital One up to 1.00% APY Money Market
3) "buyshadowhawk.com" that talks about a personal weapon that is "recently released by the military"
4) Whole Earth Sweetener Company "Save $1.50"
5) "I'm with her" paid for by Hillary Victory Fund

The only thing "growing" in the ads shown to me are for CDs, and 1.00% APY is absolute shit I agree.

-alex

[HunterGreene]

This is going to sound like hogwash, but Phage therapy (using a virus tailored to a type of bacteria to attack and kill it) was being researched before the discovery of broad-spectrum antibiotics. It is more expensive and still needs more research, but in cases where it has been used, its above 90% effective (or something like that). Yes, being injected with a virus to get rid of a bacterial infection sounds crazy, but it works simply because the bacteriophages are specifically keyed to bacteria, and do not cause illness in humans. Added bonus of no "resistant" strains, since the therapy is tailored to each strain.

[Ashikabi]

Originally Posted by mav1178

I opened the link in an incognito window, here's what the ads show:

1) "Vote Bernie" paid for by National Nurses United for Patient Protection
2) Capital One up to 1.00% APY Money Market
3) "buyshadowhawk.com" that talks about a personal weapon that is "recently released by the military"
4) Whole Earth Sweetener Company "Save $1.50"
5) "I'm with her" paid for by Hillary Victory Fund

The only thing "growing" in the ads shown to me are for CDs, and 1.00% APY is absolute shit I agree.

-alex

That "weapon" is a fucking flashlight. And the military doesn't "release" anything, it doesn't make anything. Saw another ad for it that said "who needs guns? This thing is so bright it can blind a bear!" Bears have awful eyesight... They probably aren't very hard to blind, and they don't need to see you too be dangerous... just saying

[Ashikabi]

Originally Posted by HunterGreene

This is going to sound like hogwash, but Phage therapy (using a virus tailored to a type of bacteria to attack and kill it) was being researched before the discovery of broad-spectrum antibiotics. It is more expensive and still needs more research, but in cases where it has been used, its above 90% effective (or something like that). Yes, being injected with a virus to get rid of a bacterial infection sounds crazy, but it works simply because the bacteriophages are specifically keyed to bacteria, and do not cause illness in humans. Added bonus of no "resistant" strains, since the therapy is tailored to each strain.

T Virus here we come!

[brandonblt2]

Remember ebola, swine flu, bird flu, and anthrax. The media blows these things up to create a story. 3 to 4 people will die from it and the next thing you know the media says there is a pandemic and that death is near.

[HunterGreene]

Originally Posted by Ashikabi

T Virus here we come!

I know you are joking, but the t-virus, if memory serves, was created to interact with human cells. Bacteriophages simply don't work that way, at least in a way that can cause an infection in people.

[Ashikabi]

Originally Posted by HunterGreene

I know you are joking, but the t-virus, if memory serves, was created to interact with human cells. Bacteriophages simply don't work that way, at least in a way that can cause an infection in people.

Until they do something we didn't think they could/would do. Then we have a zombie apocalypse

Worked on dogs and crows too according to the movies

[HunterGreene]

Originally Posted by Ashikabi

Until they do something we didn't think they could/would do. Then we have a zombie apocalypse

Worked on dogs and crows too according to the movies

Bacteriophages are something that have been studied as long as humanity has had microscopes. They have been used successfully used in the past, effectively.

Once again acknowledging that I know you are kidding, you have to keep in mind that movies, tv shows, and entertainment in general default to the "worst case scenario." Yes, it could happen, but the chances of something that spontaneous happening are slim to none in the reality we live in.

[Ashikabi]

Originally Posted by HunterGreene

Bacteriophages are something that have been studied as long as humanity has had microscopes. They have been used successfully used in the past, effectively.

Once again acknowledging that I know you are kidding, you have to keep in mind that movies, tv shows, and entertainment in general default to the "worst case scenario." Yes, it could happen, but the chances of something that spontaneous happening are slim to none in the reality we live in.

Indeed, which is why I'm not worried. We beat nearly every other major "disease". And pretty well contain the ones we haven't. Not worried about something remaining untreatable for long

Even zombies can be treated with simple cranial trauma