Scientist says world lacks superbug drug

[RedEarth]

LONDON, March 2 (UPI) -- An Arizona scientist who is one of the world's most influential researchers says humanity may run out of effective antibiotics by the end of this decade.

George Poste, director of the Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University and an advisor to President Bush, also warned it could be at least five years before new drugs can be developed to combat "superbugs," the Telegraph reported Wednesday.

Poste predicts from 2010 to 2015 will be a "window of vulnerability" when the toll of the superbug will reach its peak as a result of antibiotic resistance.

"We are facing a relentless increase in antibiotic resistance across all classes of drug," he said. The superbugs of most concern are strains of methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus.


http://interestalert.com/brand/siteia.shtml?Story=st/sn/03020000aaa0432e.upi&Sys=siteia&Fid=LATEBRKN&Type=News&Filter=Late%20Breaking

[DireStrike]

1. In other news, new antibacterial T-shirts available!

And antibacterial shoes, and chewing gum, and tissues, and bottled water...

You think maybe we're overusing antibiotics? Nah...

[GHOSTDANCER]

12. humans have been roaming the planet for eons without these jesus pills.

[Dookus]

15. and dropping dead from infections for eons, too

[Warpy]

2. Number of limp dick drugs currently under consideration = 14

Number of new antibiotics, with or without the potential to kill resistant organisms = 0

That's what happens when profit becomes the only motive. Actually curing illness becomes relatively unprofitable when compared to "lifestyle" drugs that people will take forever.

[bleedingheart]

5. hahaha

good post...imagine headline...

"Viagra User Picks up SuperBug from His Latest Lovebug"

hahahah

[Love Bug]

6. Hey!

Did somebody call me? :evilgrin:

[Joe Chi Minh]

3. This is from an item

by Brendon Williams in today's Daily Mirror:

Honey is 'cure' for killer bug

"A type of honey which destroys bacteria could be used to fight the deadly hsopital superbug MRSA, its makers claimed yesterday.

Research shows just a small amount of special brand Medihoney put on dressings can prevent MRSA spreading through open wounds. The honey made in Australia, is used in hospitals there.

Anthony Maloney from Medihoney said: 'A couple of teaspoons of the honey in a glass of water would knock out the worst bug in hsopitals today'

Trials at Aintree hospital, Liverpool, showed it can fight pain and heal wounds quickly. The Department of Health said: 'We welcome any help in preventing infection'".

[Occulus]

4. "That will require year of study" says the FDA

Or soon will. We can't allow actual cures; those harm profits.

:eyes:

[Joe Chi Minh]

10. Oh, absolutely!

Until our pharmaceutical Establishments have thoroughly vetted it and given it their approval, it would be scandalous to market it, wouldn't it? Big business. Always, so solicitous for public safety.

Bizarre as it may sound, according to a serious documentary programme I saw on UK several years ago, the Russians had pioneered an alternative to anti-biotics. It was weird, and entailed years of collecting certain kinds of specimens from sick patients, according to the particular disease concerned - well, I can't remember what now, because it was clearly never going to taken up by the West.

[depakid]

7. This doesn't even touch on VRE

Vancomycin is one of the really "big guns" and the increase and proliferation of vanc-resistant enterococci has the potential to kill a lot of people.

I haven't seen any reports about it yet, but I've wondered whether US healthcare workers have inadvertantly spread VRE through Tsunami relief efforts. It's certinly conceivable that they have....

[soothsayer]

8. It's a shame all the microbioligists are being killed off. Looks like

we'll have a thinning of the herd, worldwide. (Newsflash: we're part of the herd!)

[malmapus]

9. Actually about due for a "thinning of the herd"

Wasn't the last one that flu epidemic of 1917? Sounds like that about fits the timeline if they think around 2015ish

[0007]

11. The Great War helped a little also

[GHOSTDANCER]

13. ahhh the good old days......................

[malmapus]

14. Yeah, was actually us sending troops that spread it to Europe I believe

From what understand thats how it swept across the US as well, from shipping troops from the West to the East coast.

EDIT

Can find more info for those who want to find out more (surprisingly not many people know about the flu epidemic of 1917-1918). But I would hear stories from my grandfathers generation about how they would stack the bodies in Georgia cause so many people were dying.

Here's few stats though from http://www.internationalsos.com/members_home/AvianFlu/index.cfm?content_id=119&language_id=ENG">International SOS


1917-18 "Spanish flu pandemic"

* Caused by an avian strain of influenza
* Killed more people than World War I
* Had several "waves" of infection
* Spread in the trenches and even Armistice Day celebrations
* Called Spanish Flu because Spain was affected early, but affected all continents
* Infected 1/5th of US population
* Killed 675,000 Americans - 200,000 died in October 1918 alone