5 ms·

I always think excitement over these kind of articles is overblown. Wouldn't it work like this?: 1. Develop a super-treatment for fighting a broad range of in

I always think excitement over these kind of articles is overblown. Wouldn't it work like this?: 1. Develop a super-treatment for fighting a broad range of infections 2. Enjoy a few years of low levels of disease 3. The "super-bugs" that are naturally resistant and were naturally selected by the broad application of treatment make a comeback 4. Back to step 1

alextp 15y ago
Except with antibiotics history did not quite play out like this, in that there were far more fatal diseases before the invention of antibiotics, and some superbugs can be controlled with different variations on the same basic technology.
- Jach 15y ago
  Also if we could guarantee a period of relatively little disease, it's not like all research just stops. We can probably evolve many different types of "super-bugs" in the lab faster than nature and create advance treatments for them, extending the period of low disease even further and further. I'm also a believer in a general solution to human sickness being discoverable, though I don't have confident time frames.
- maayank 15y ago
  "Except with antibiotics history did not quite play out like this" Sure it did. In fact, already in the 60s the original penicillin became dangerously ineffective. Around that time we (==humanity) developed semi-synthetic penicillin that enables us to change some core ingredients in the formula every few years and thus avoid saturation by bacterial evolution. Of course, IANABiologist, so look for more information if it interests you. p.s. if anyone is around London I highly recommend going to the Alexander Fleming museum. Highly recommended and since (sadly) no one goes there you effectively get a private tour of Fleming's lab.
eru 15y ago
With antibiotics the super-bugs are usually only really good at evading our medicine, not as good as infecting a healthy human as the traditional microbes. Thus they are mostly a concern for already weakened persons.
sliverstorm 15y ago
The trick would be to use those few years to eradicate the worst diseases, or at least fight it back enough that it can then slowly be eliminated through quarantine etc. The common cold is still around, but notice that smallpox is essentially extinct, and influenza is way less common than it used to be. Bubonic plague- also mostly gone.

alextp 15y ago

Except with antibiotics history did not quite play out like this, in that there were far more fatal diseases before the invention of antibiotics, and some superbugs can be controlled with different variations on the same basic technology.

Jach 15y ago
Also if we could guarantee a period of relatively little disease, it's not like all research just stops. We can probably evolve many different types of "super-bugs" in the lab faster than nature and create advance treatments for them, extending the period of low disease even further and further. I'm also a believer in a general solution to human sickness being discoverable, though I don't have confident time frames.
maayank 15y ago
"Except with antibiotics history did not quite play out like this" Sure it did. In fact, already in the 60s the original penicillin became dangerously ineffective. Around that time we (==humanity) developed semi-synthetic penicillin that enables us to change some core ingredients in the formula every few years and thus avoid saturation by bacterial evolution. Of course, IANABiologist, so look for more information if it interests you. p.s. if anyone is around London I highly recommend going to the Alexander Fleming museum. Highly recommended and since (sadly) no one goes there you effectively get a private tour of Fleming's lab.

eru 15y ago

With antibiotics the super-bugs are usually only really good at evading our medicine, not as good as infecting a healthy human as the traditional microbes. Thus they are mostly a concern for already weakened persons.

sliverstorm 15y ago

The trick would be to use those few years to eradicate the worst diseases, or at least fight it back enough that it can then slowly be eliminated through quarantine etc. The common cold is still around, but notice that smallpox is essentially extinct, and influenza is way less common than it used to be. Bubonic plague- also mostly gone.