cyantist wrote:
] ] A bacterial infection that overpowers most antibiotics
] ] has escaped the confines of hospitals and is showing up
] ] in alarming numbers among the general public in
] ] California, according to health officials.
]
] Ugh. Apparently, there's a huge outbreak in the Castro.
] Great.

you can pretty much say the above phrase at any point in recent history.

flynn23 wrote:
] cyantist wrote:
] ] ] A bacterial infection that overpowers most antibiotics
] ] ] has escaped the confines of hospitals and is showing up
] ] ] in alarming numbers among the general public in
] ] ] California, according to health officials.
] ]
] ] Ugh. Apparently, there's a huge outbreak in the Castro.
] ] Great.
]
] you can pretty much say the above phrase at any point in
] recent history.

Very true.

Rattle wrote:
] ] A bacterial infection that overpowers most antibiotics
] ] has escaped the confines of hospitals and is showing up
] ] in alarming numbers among the general public in
] ] California, according to health officials.
]
Crap. There is promising research into macrophages, however. (Macrophages are viruses that go after one or two species of bacteria exclusively.) Theoretically, a virus exists for every species of bacterium, so a person could be treated for exactly the bacterial infection they have, without the 'collateral damage' effect of most antibiotics. Viruses also mutate right along with the bacteria. Hopefully more money will go into this branch of research.

Jonathan Swift (1667-1745)
So, naturalists observe, a flea
Has smaller fleas that on him prey;
And these have smaller still to bite 'em;
And so proceed ad infinitum.

Moon Pie wrote:
] Rattle wrote:
] ] ] A bacterial infection that overpowers most antibiotics
] ] ] has escaped the confines of hospitals and is showing up
] ] ] in alarming numbers among the general public in
] ] ] California, according to health officials.
] ]
] Crap. There is promising research into macrophages, however.
] (Macrophages are viruses that go after one or two species of
] bacteria exclusively.) Theoretically, a virus exists for
] every species of bacterium, so a person could be treated for
] exactly the bacterial infection they have, without the
] 'collateral damage' effect of most antibiotics. Viruses also
] mutate right along with the bacteria. Hopefully more money
] will go into this branch of research.
]
]
] Jonathan Swift (1667-1745)
] So, naturalists observe, a flea
] Has smaller fleas that on him prey;
] And these have smaller still to bite 'em;
] And so proceed ad infinitum.

Actually, macrophages are cells in our immune system. It is true that there are viruses that infect bacteria called bacteriophages, and that there is research going on in using them as a replacement for antibiotics. The interesting thing is that before antibiotics were discovered, there was *major* research going on to see if bacteriophages could be used to treat bacterial infections. That research mostly dropped off the map when antibiotics came on the scene, but for the past few years, people have started to think think in that direction again due to antibiotic resistance. As for macrophages, I haven't heard of research going on in that area as a potential therapy, but if you have any information on that, I would love a link to it. Sorry...just had to add my .02 cents in as a biology major:)

Nanochick wrote:
*snip*
] Moon Pie wrote:
(1667-1745)
] ] So, naturalists observe, a flea
] ] Has smaller fleas that on him prey;
] ] And these have smaller still to bite 'em;
] ] And so proceed ad infinitum.
]
] Actually, macrophages are cells in our immune system. It is
] true that there are viruses that infect bacteria called
] bacteriophages, and that there is research going on in using
] them as a replacement for antibiotics. The interesting thing
] is that before antibiotics were discovered, there was *major*
] research going on to see if bacteriophages could be used to
] treat bacterial infections. That research mostly dropped off
] the map when antibiotics came on the scene, but for the past
] few years, people have started to think think in that
] direction again due to antibiotic resistance. As for
] macrophages, I haven't heard of research going on in that area
] as a potential therapy, but if you have any information on
] that, I would love a link to it. Sorry...just had to add my
] .02 cents in as a biology major:)

Thank you for the correction. I read a print article recently about these things, and the reporter used the term 'macrophage' for 'bacteriophage', which confused me, but I assumed he knew better than me, and one had to sort out what kind of 'macrophage' (immune or viral) from context.
But yeah, research is up and running in Russia at least, with some interest internationally. They're isolating bacteriophages from sewage. This is highly relevant to me since I have a tuberculosis-like infection that takes years of antibiotic treatment to eliminate, while the right bacteriophage would home right in on those suckers.

Moon Pie wrote:
] Nanochick wrote:
] *snip*
] ] Moon Pie wrote:
] (1667-1745)
] ] ] So, naturalists observe, a flea
] ] ] Has smaller fleas that on him prey;
] ] ] And these have smaller still to bite 'em;
] ] ] And so proceed ad infinitum.
] ]
] ] Actually, macrophages are cells in our immune system. It is
] ] true that there are viruses that infect bacteria called
] ] bacteriophages, and that there is research going on in using
]
] ] them as a replacement for antibiotics. The interesting thing
]
] ] is that before antibiotics were discovered, there was
] *major*
] ] research going on to see if bacteriophages could be used to
] ] treat bacterial infections. That research mostly dropped off
]
] ] the map when antibiotics came on the scene, but for the past
]
] ] few years, people have started to think think in that
] ] direction again due to antibiotic resistance. As for
] ] macrophages, I haven't heard of research going on in that
] area
] ] as a potential therapy, but if you have any information on
] ] that, I would love a link to it. Sorry...just had to add my
] ] .02 cents in as a biology major:)
]
] Thank you for the correction. I read a print article recently
] about these things, and the reporter used the term
] 'macrophage' for 'bacteriophage', which confused me, but I
] assumed he knew better than me, and one had to sort out what
] kind of 'macrophage' (immune or viral) from context.
] But yeah, research is up and running in Russia at least, with
] some interest internationally. They're isolating
] bacteriophages from sewage. This is highly relevant to me
] since I have a tuberculosis-like infection that takes years of
] antibiotic treatment to eliminate, while the right
] bacteriophage would home right in on those suckers.

http://www.nature.com/nsu/020422/020422-4.html

Interesting... I'm gonna look for phage cream at the Apteka.

] Just in case you have not heard the line yet, unless you
] need them, I mean really need them, do not take
] antibiotics. You will be doing your fellow man a great
] disservice if you over use them. Also, (easy one) do not
] spend any more time in hospitals then is necessary. Remember,
] those germ things evolve faster then you do.

I've always thought that the reality is that since most antibiotics are dispensed without prescriptions in places where people can't afford doctors and antibiotics aren't regulated... and since these places are where most of the world's population lives in the most dense distribution... that strict antibiotic controls in the US are mostly useless. Someone will just bring in a resistant infection on a plane. What am I missing?