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:)

RE: The super-bugs have arrived!