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But isn't the main difference that a new vaccine can easily be created for any new strain of a bacteria or virus, whereas once something becomes resistant to an
by gph 12y ago
But isn't the main difference that a new vaccine can easily be created for any new strain of a bacteria or virus, whereas once something becomes resistant to an antibiotic then that antibiotic is now worthless to fight that infection, and antibiotics are extremely rare and difficult to create.
- sehugg 12y agoIndeed, flu viruses do react to selection pressures, but we deal with it by making a new vaccine each year: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antigenic_drift http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antigenic_drift Which is not to say that we could not benefit from further research into the process.
- NickStefan 12y agoI wouldn't say either are "easy". A new vaccine for the flu every year is more like finding a new lock combo solution for the same lock (recombinant DNA). Having to find a new antibiotic more like an entirely different door. Vaccines merely find a way to train our immune systems to tag the villain. Anti biotics have to actually find weaknesses and exploit a biochemical pathway that can be disrupted etc.