Thread: 'Invincible' bacteria threatens global epidemic: study

Medicine's final line of defence against deadly disease has been breached, raising the spectre of a global epidemic, scientists say, after finding bacteria resistant to last-resort antibiotics.

The discovery could herald a virtual return to the Dark Ages, with doctors unable to control common germs like E. Coli, rolling back centuries of medical progress.

"These are extremely worryingly results," said Liu Jian-Hua, a professor at China's Southern Agricultural University and co-author of a new study.

Liu and his colleagues found a gene, called MCR-1, that allows bacteria to become resistant to a class of antibiotics known as polymyxins, which are used to fight superbugs.

The gene, which was detected in common but deadly bacteria such as E. Coli and K. Pneumoniae -- the cause of pneumonia and blood diseases -- effectively makes bacteria invincible.

Most worryingly of all, the gene is easily spread from one strain to another, said the study, which was published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases journal, prompting warnings they could have "epidemic potential".

Until now, rare cases of resistance occurred only through mutation in individual organisms, severely limiting transmission.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has already warned antimicrobial resistance may result in "a return to the pre-antibiotic era," where even small infections -- or cuts -- could prove fatal.

- Animal to human -

The superbugs were detected during routine testing of pigs and chickens in southern China, where animals were found to be carrying bacteria resistant to colistin, a drug widely used in livestock farming.

A team of researchers then examined E. Coli and K. Pneumoniae samples collected from pork and chicken sold in dozens of markets across four provinces.

They also analysed lab results from patients at two hospitals in Guangdong and Zhejiang provinces.

More than 20 percent of bacteria in the animal samples, and 15 percent of the raw meat samples, had the telltale mcr-1 gene. It was also found in 16 of the 1,322 specimens taken from hospitals.

The lower infection rate among humans almost certainly means that the resistant bacteria passed from animals to humans, the study found.

It said that while mcr-1 was "currently confined to China" it was like to spread globally.

"This is a worrying report, as polymyxins are often the last resort antibiotic to treat serious infections," said Laura Piddock, a professor of microbiology at the University of Birmingham.

"Equally worrying is that this type of resistance can be easily transferred between bacteria."

- Nothing to fight disease -

Other types of drug resistance -- such as for tuberculosis -- show that "this likely paves the way for it to spread throughout the world," she added.

Some 480,000 people contracted multi-drug resistant tuberculosis in 2014, according to the WHO. The disease killed 190,000 in the same year.

Professor Timothy Walsh of the University of Cardfiff, who collaborated on the study, told the BBC News website antibiotics could soon become useless.

"If MRC-1 becomes global, which is a case of when not if, and the gene aligns itself with other antibiotic resistance genes, which is inevitable, then we will have very likely reached the start of the post-antibiotic era," he said.

"At that point if a patient is seriously ill, say with E. Coli, then there is virtually nothing you can do."

The study will renew debate about the use of colistin in animal husbandry, researchers said.

"The finding that this type of resistance can be shared by different bacteria -- irrespective of whether from food, an animal or a person -- is further evidence that the same drugs should not be used in veterinary and human medicine," Piddock said.

'Invincible' bacteria threatens global epidemic: study

Well, I guess I'll go to my room and panic now.

Act normal some drug company will sell a new fix

Nice to absorb some good and positive news for a change....

Extermination by natural selection.

Originally Posted by david44

Act normal some drug company will sell a new fix

Indeed.

Well, actually no.

Since 2009 two (count them, two) new antibiotics have been approved for use in America.

Current estimates that there are only about 30 or so new antibiotics being developed, and probably 1/3 -to 2/3s will fail the clinical trials process. Those antibiotics being developed are not broad spectrum, kill 'em all drugs.

The introduction of antibiotics alone added an estimate of 20 years to everybody's life span. Before antibiotics, a simple tooth extraction could kill you.

Those large pharmaceutical companies are regularly hammered for their supposed profiteering, immorality and duplicity.

Hope y'all remember that when the Doc shrugs at you and says, I know it was only a scratch, but sorry, nothing I can do.

Human beings are clever monkeys, but I fear this may be the beginning of our undoing.

Oh, we'll find new classes of antibiotic for a while, but one day a pandemic will come along, and then it will be like the flu epidemics of 1890 and 1918......only worse.

Let's hope it starts in China.

Originally Posted by Latindancer

Human beings are clever monkeys, but I fear this may be the beginning of our undoing.

No worries. No disease ever managed to kill more than 80% of the population. We are not in danger as a species.

I suppose some would blame it on Thaksin...The Thais, and their misuse of "medicine" are a huge part of the problem...Okay, so it's Prey-Youth's fault, now...

Originally Posted by Takeovers

Originally Posted by Latindancer

Human beings are clever monkeys, but I fear this may be the beginning of our undoing.

No worries. No disease ever managed to kill more than 80% of the population. We are not in danger as a species.

No, but we have seriously upset the balance of nature, how long can this continue?
Blame the British and their damn Penicillin.

Total Population of the World by Decade, 1950–2050
(historical and projected)
Year Total world population
(mid-year figures) Ten-year growth
rate (%)
1950 2,556,000,053 18.9%
1960 3,039,451,023 22.0
1970 3,706,618,163 20.2
1980 4,453,831,714 18.5
1990 5,278,639,789 15.2
2000 6,082,966,429 12.6
2010 6,848,932,929 10.7
2020 7,584,821,144 8.7

Total Population of the World by Decade, 1950?2050

A pandemic is a certainty. The only uncertainty is how much of the population will be wiped out.

If humans are so smart, how did we manage to get into this situation at all? I believe I explained how in my previous post. Pure stupidity.

Overpopulation will be a bigger killer and as horrific as the world wars.
Better the super bug and a 5 year cull.
Denser populations will obviously fall first so an underground home in coober pedy is an attractive bet .

Originally Posted by shaggersback

Overpopulation will be a bigger killer and as horrific as the world wars.
Better the super bug and a 5 year cull.
Denser populations will obviously fall first so an underground home in coober pedy is an attractive bet .

I am afraid no such luck. Just basic hygiene can limit it. At least in the western world. What happens in Cairo, Mumbai, Bangkok ... is another matter.

The end is near.

Take care of your affairs.

Let it happen....

Originally Posted by Davis Knowlton

Well, I guess I'll go to my room and panic now.

you need to click on the link first - that is what clickbait is for

Originally Posted by nidhogg

Originally Posted by david44

Act normal some drug company will sell a new fix

Indeed.

Well, actually no.

Since 2009 two (count them, two) new antibiotics have been approved for use in America.

Current estimates that there are only about 30 or so new antibiotics being developed, and probably 1/3 -to 2/3s will fail the clinical trials process. Those antibiotics being developed are not broad spectrum, kill 'em all drugs.

The introduction of antibiotics alone added an estimate of 20 years to everybody's life span. Before antibiotics, a simple tooth extraction could kill you.

Those large pharmaceutical companies are regularly hammered for their supposed profiteering, immorality and duplicity.

Hope y'all remember that when the Doc shrugs at you and says, I know it was only a scratch, but sorry, nothing I can do.

I thought much of the research effort that used to go into antibiotic development was now being directed towards bacteriocins? While I don't have any real numbers a cursory Google search seems to show quite a few companies active in that area.

Originally Posted by rickschoppers

The CDC even warned about new "superbugs" evolving that have no known cure. It was just a matter of time and you can thank the idiot physicians for overprescribing antibiotics.

True, but then again I know many physicians (and pharmacists, chemists, Public Health Officials) have been beating the drum against overuse of antibiotics for a long time. Seems to always fall on deaf ears.
But the other problem is not just the medical/pharmaceutical industry. The livestock business who use many antibiotics prophalactically and so set up an environment for bugs to mutate. That needs to be reigned in too.

bac·te·ri·o·cins
(bak-tēr'ē-ō-sinz),
Proteins produced by certain bacteria that have bacteriocinogenic plasmids and that exert a lethal effect on closely related bacteria; in general, bacteriocins have a narrower range of activity than antibiotics and are more potent.

Anything helps, but it seems we're just kicking the can up the road and the bugs will become resistant to these also. I hope these have some resistance to that--maybe because they are more potent and not broad spectrum.

Agree, Mr. G. All antibiotic use should be dramatically reduced. The sad thing is there is a reasonable way to use antibiotics and I have to say, most Infectious Disease physicians know how to reduce resistance since that is their expertise.

One of the best weapons I had in my arsenal was to require cultures and sensitivities for every infection. What this does is allow physicians to know exactly what bacteria is growing and then select specific narrow spectrum antibiotics to treat the infection. Otherwise, doctors are just guessing and prescribe broad spectrum antibiotics that kill more bacteria, but also increase the chance of resistance. Often the broad spectrum antibiotic does not kill the infection and doctor's prescribe another 10 or 14 days course of another broad spectrum antibiotic and so on and so on. Raise your hand if this has ever happened to you.

I was successfrul at most hospitals to get a policy approved that requires culture and sensitivities to be done on ALL infections. Once the results came back, my pharmacists would recommend low cost narrow spectrum antibiotics that were known to kill those bugs and it was a win win situation. Lower chance of resistance and lower drug cost. I used this tactic in all the hospitals, except one where I was director of pharmacy while saving my drug budget and looking like we were using antibiotics in a reasonable manner.

I no longer am in the business, so it is up to the new wave of pharmacy directors to convince the physicians to do the same. I often ran up against those doctor's who agreed with me but would not practice what was recommended. It was nice to call those physicians and give them a friendly reminder since there was a hospital policy. Then, we usually had around a 95% acceptance rate with our drug recommendations.

Probably a lot more information than you need to know, but I just wanted to show that this is not a new topic and I started antibiotic stewardships back in the 1980s. It is sad to see things have not dramatically changed after 35 years.

Originally Posted by rickschoppers

I no longer am in the business, so it is up to the new wave of pharmacy directors to convince the physicians to do the same. I often ran up against those doctor's who agreed with me but would not practice what was recommended. It was nice to call those physicians and give them a friendly reminder since there was a hospital policy. Then, we usually had around a 95% acceptance rate with our drug recommendations.
Probably a lot more information than you need to know, but I just wanted to show that this is not a new topic and I started antibiotic stewardships back in the 1980s. It is sad to see things have not dramatically changed after 35 years.

It is sad.
I worked in an inner city Med Center and Level 1 Trauma Center for many years. I know the stories you tell about doctors are true. Some of them needed reminding to wash their hands between patients (I kid you not). The system you describe sounds like a good one. The only ones I can think of who probably got a pass on the culture is the ER.

I do know that the Joint Commission of Accreditation for Hospitals in the US are now requiring hospitals to prove "judicious" use of antibiotics. This is a start, but way too late.

Originally Posted by shaggersback

Overpopulation will be a bigger killer and as horrific as the world wars.
Better the super bug and a 5 year cull.
Denser populations will obviously fall first so an underground home in coober pedy is an attractive bet .

Yep, even so called man made climate change, if true, is really just a symptom of over-population.


^ Yes, but in much of the World, as in Thailand, people can buy them over the counter. Our local small store here in Sattahip doesn't even have them behind the pharmacist's window, they're simply out on display for anyone with no training whatsoever to grab.

Glad I was born in the 50's where but for the nukes, the future looked promising.

Originally Posted by Takeovers

Just basic hygiene can limit it. At least in the western world. What happens in Cairo, Mumbai, Bangkok ... is another matter

Gross Study Finds You Inhale The Bacteria-Rich Microbial Cloud Of Other Humans Everyday

I'll stop breathing then .. Should be fine.

Talk of resistant strains of bacteria has been going on since penicillin.
I'm guessing myself and kids will be long gone before the next big cull.
Much more important things to think about than shit one has zero control over.