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Not so fast, those bacteria have a way of mutating to beat antibiotics. This war has lead to strains that are harder to treat, and there's no sign of this stopp
by jasfi 3y ago
Not so fast, those bacteria have a way of mutating to beat antibiotics. This war has lead to strains that are harder to treat, and there's no sign of this stopping.
- huytersd 3y agoWe really have no option but to hope we can keep finding new antibiotics until we find a final solution using genetic engineering or nano bots.
- jasfi 3y agoI know, we're locked in an arms race with bacteria (and fungi).
- DrScientist 3y ago> we find a final solution using genetic engineering or nano bots Why would such solutions be immune to the bacteria evolving escape? Or does the 'final' bit means you accidentally kill us all by genetic engineering or nano bots?
- huytersd 3y agoBecause if we have those tools we can always easily find new sites to attack. Molecular/nanoscale tools that can target specific cells would solve most of our illnesses, bacteria or no.
- DrScientist 3y agoIt may come as a surprise then that we already use molecular tools to fight bacteria. That's what antibiotics are - fairly small, relatively simple molecules. The problem with bacteria is they are a moving target - it's not as if they aren't constantly under attack from all sides already. Bacteriophage ( viruses that target bacteria ) are ubiquitous, there is bacteria on bacteria action ( in fact most current antibiotics are molecules one bacteria or fungi developed to kill another ), and organisms like us - are constantly trying to kill bacteria through multiple mechanisms.
- latexr 3y ago> We really have no option but to hope we can keep finding new antibiotics Sure we do. We could stop giving out antibiotics like candy for every sprained ankle and cough to not cultivate resistance.
- yreg 3y agoIf we have enough of them we can just rotate them around. Stop using a particular antibiotic for a few decades and the resistance against it drops.
- HPsquared 3y agoThe bacteria have anti-antibiotics. We need anti-anti-antibiotics.
- hypercube33 3y agophages are one answer. Basically bacteria hitmen. Last I knew they are ok to protect your lunch meat but not for things you'd think they'd be frontrunners for like mersa
- darkclouds 3y ago[dead]
- DonsDiscountGas 3y ago* Assuming you were 100% correct, that means it's a rate problem. Assume it takes time X for bacteria to evolve resistance and it takes time Y for us to develop each new antibiotic. As of now, X << Y, but Y is falling. Once Y < X we are developing new antibiotics faster than resistance is evolving, it's basically a solved problem. * Fitness is not a 1-D line. Every time a bacteria evolves resistance, it pays a cost for doing so (in lab experiments it's pretty easy to generate resistance by adding antibiotics, and the resistance factors disappear very quickly once the antibiotic is removed, suggesting a fitness cost). So even while they're getting harder to treat they're also getting less robust in general.
- LeanderK 3y ago> Fitness is not a 1-D line I never thought about it this way but this is really insightful. I was assuming it will be an endless war but if the cost gets prohibitively high to maintain resistance we have a real advantage