3 ms·
I doubt that 30 year window. If if were nearly impossible to build a resistance, the bacterium producing the antibiotic would poison itself. And I am not sure
by iSnow 10y ago
I doubt that 30 year window. If if were nearly impossible to build a resistance, the bacterium producing the antibiotic would poison itself.
And I am not sure how you'd convince people in underdeveloped countries to use the new and expensive drug only.
- dalke 10y agoThe bacteria has had far more than 30 years to develop resistance, and it could do it in stages. We don't know how many other bacteria over the gigayears managed to poison itself.
- iSnow 10y agoTrue, but for one, the antibiotic will be produced and used in really large doses once it enters the market, meaning there are trillions of bacterial cells encountering it, which raises the likelihood of development of resistance. And second, horizontal gene transfer between bacteria means different strains of bacteria can cooperate in defeating it (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horizontal_gene_transfer https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horizontal_gene_transfer)