By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Antibiotics’ Scary Future
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Policy & Law > Public Health > Antibiotics’ Scary Future
Public Health

Antibiotics’ Scary Future

JohnCGoodman
JohnCGoodman
Share
3 Min Read
SHARE

“What people might not know about resistance,” says Eric Utt, a former antibiotic researcher now working in Pfizer’s science public-policy division, “is that the resistant organisms are already there. This is why we find bacteria that are resistant to new antibiotics, even before those drugs reach the market.” They’re often the loners in the corner with the mutation that just happens to confer immunity to some super-drug. When we bombard their competition with lethal weapons, they get the place to themselves, and eventually, they take over.

“What people might not know about resistance,” says Eric Utt, a former antibiotic researcher now working in Pfizer’s science public-policy division, “is that the resistant organisms are already there. This is why we find bacteria that are resistant to new antibiotics, even before those drugs reach the market.” They’re often the loners in the corner with the mutation that just happens to confer immunity to some super-drug. When we bombard their competition with lethal weapons, they get the place to themselves, and eventually, they take over. After generations of this, the super-drug loses its effectiveness.

Worse, other drugs lose their effectiveness, because many bacteria that are resistant to one drug will also resist other drugs in the same class. We are now learning that bacteria trade genes with each other promiscuously, even between different species, so that resistance developed by one strain of bacteria can be acquired by another. The more we use these drugs, the faster they begin to fail.

By 2004, more than 50 percent of staph infections were caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), up from 2 percent in 1987; some are also resistant to vancomycin, a common backup antibiotic. Other disease organisms show similar patterns: pneumococcus, E. coli, and, yes, M. tuberculosis now come in multidrug-resistant or extremely drug-resistant varieties. In 2001, the Food and Drug Administration warned:

More Read

Good Riddance to Routine Pelvic Examinations
Social Media Safety: Virtual Connections Provide Realtime Results
How to Find the Right Surgeon: Advice For Boomers
Newlyweds Show Us How to Face Cancer Together
Is Our Medicaid System Vulnerable to Collapse in 2014?

Unless antibiotic resistance problems are detected as they emerge, and actions are taken to contain them, the world could be faced with previously treatable diseases that have again become untreatable, as in the days before antibiotics were developed.

Full Megan McArdle piece worth reading.

   

TAGGED:antibioticsbacteriapharmaceuticals
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

a woman walking on the hallway
6 Easy Healthcare Ways to Sit Less and Move More Every Day
Health
September 9, 2025
Clinical Expertise
Healthcare at a Crossroads: Why Leadership Matters More Than Ever
Global Healthcare
September 9, 2025
travel nurse in north carolina
Balancing Speed and Scope: Choosing the Nursing Degree That Fits Your Goals
Nursing
September 1, 2025
intimacy
How to Keep Intimacy Comfortable as You Age
Relationship and Lifestyle Senior Care
September 1, 2025

You Might also Like

information addiction
BusinessPublic HealthTechnology

The Information Junkies in Your Support Group

September 25, 2014
doctor guilds
FinanceHealth ReformHospital AdministrationPolicy & LawPublic Health

Do All of Us Really Have to Change?

June 13, 2013

Surprise – Adolescent Obesity Leads To Later Heart Disease and Diabetes

April 11, 2011

What’s In? What’s Out? The Popularity Contest in Psychiatric Drug Use

July 8, 2012
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?