Why Have SUPERBUGS Not Been Able To Be Eradicated?

This article really makes us think!  It quotes several of the news agencies and their reactions to this dangerous superbug. Sarah Boseley of the Guardian said: “The era of antibiotics is coming to a close. In just a couple of generations, what once appeared to be miracle medicines have been beaten into ineffectiveness by the bacteria they were designed to knock out.” It seems to me that it depends on how antibiotics are used  and how well drug use is managed in hospitals and doctor's offices.
    . . . June

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Deadlier than AIDS: Why is This Travesty Allowed to Continue in the U.S.?
foodconsumer.org -  Posted By Dr. Mercola | September 29 2010

Following a Lancet Infectious Diseases report of the spread of a new drug-resistant superbug spreading from south Asia, news agencies have reported 'panic' over the germs' possible consequences.

Writing in the Guardian, for example, editor and columnist Sarah Boseley said:

“The era of antibiotics is coming to a close. In just a couple of generations, what once appeared to be miracle medicines have been beaten into ineffectiveness by the bacteria they were designed to knock out.”

Writing in the Guardian, for example, editor and columnist Sarah Boseley said:

“The era of antibiotics is coming to a close. In just a couple of generations, what once appeared to be miracle medicines have been beaten into ineffectiveness by the bacteria they were designed to knock out.”

The effectiveness of antibiotics depends on how antibiotics are used — how well drug use is managed in clinical practice and outside of it. But some 70 percent of American antibiotics — tens of millions of pounds of drugs each year — is used in animal feed.

According to Time Magazine:

“The European Union banned routine use of antibiotics in animal feed years ago because of evidence about its drug-resistance consequences for humans. Now the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is recommending the same for the U.S. as well, for the same reason. But for now the practice continues.”

Read Entire Article
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Seagulls Carrying Highly Drug-Resistant Superbug Bacteria

 It's not enough that we are subjected to catching these drug-resistant bugs from other human beings, but now according to this article, scientists in Portugal have discovered that a species of seagull that feeds on human rubbish is carrying and spreading highly drug-resistant superbug bacteria. 
   . . . June


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Seagulls Carrying And Spreading Highly Drug-Resistant Superbug Bacteria:
Written by: Catharine Paddock, PhD Copyright: Medical News
Scientists in Portugal have discovered that a species of seagull that feeds on human rubbish is carrying and spreading highly drug-resistant superbug bacteria.

You can read how lead researcher Dr Gilberto Igrejas, from the University of Tras-os-Montes and Alto Douro, and colleagues, make their discovery in the 21 September issue of the journal Proteome Science

In their background information, Igrejas and colleagues explained that Enterococci bacteria are now the third most common cause of infections in hospital settings, requiring antibiotic therapy.

A growing problem in such settings is resistance to the "last resort" antibiotic vancomycin which is normally only used when other drugs have failed, and while studies have shown that resistance is emerging in farm animals, few have looked at the extent of the problem in wild animals, said the researchers.

To investigate the problem they decided to look at a particular population of wild animals: a type of Herring Gull known as the Larus Cachinnans seagull.

These large, loud, white and grey seagulls with distinctive yellow legs are often seen scavanging around rubbish tips in the south of the UK.

For the study, the researchers collected and analysed 57 samples of feces dropped by Larus Cachinnans seagulls on an island off the Portuguese coast that is part of the Berlengas Nature Reserve.

They found that one in ten of the samples carried bacteria that showed signs of having developed resistance to vancomycin. They also found signs of resistance to other antibiotics.

Read Entire Article . .

Superbug Requires Global Response Now!

 This Superbug is frightening not only the general population, but doctors and scientists as well. If you have a bacteria that is resistant to all known medicines and has access to worldwide traffic, that's potential disaster. In the following article, Patrice Nordmann of France's Bicetre Hospital says, "There is an urgent need, first, to put in place an international surveillance system over the coming months and, second, to test all the patients admitted to any given health system' in as many countries as possible". Too right!
   .  . June

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'Time bomb' superbug requires global response: doctor
AFP:



 BOSTON, Massachusetts — A new superbug from India thought to be resistant to nearly every known antibiotic poses a global threat, scientists warned Monday, urging health authorities to track the bacteria.


'There is an urgent need, first, to put in place an international surveillance system over the coming months and, second, to test all the patients admitted to any given health system' in as many countries as possible, said Patrice Nordmann of France's Bicetre Hospital.

'For the moment, we don't know how fast this phenomenon is spreading... it could take months or years, but what is certain is that is will spread,' he told AFP, noting that measures have already been agreed in France and are under discussion in Japan, Singapore and China.

"It's a bit like a time bomb.

Nordmann was in Boston for the 50th annual meeting of the Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (ICAAC), the world's largest gathering of infectious disease specialists, which is drawing some 12,000 people here September 12-14.

The head of Bicetre's department of bacteriology and virology noted that the bacteria will find fertile ground in India's massive 1.3 billion-person strong population, and could easily be carried back and forth by the country's massive diaspora.

The so-called "superbug," dubbed NDM-1 (New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase 1), and its variants appear to have originated in India and were first detected in Britain in 2007.

Read More . . .

Misuse Of Antibiotics Largely Responsible For Creating Drug-Resistant Bugs

 I completely agree with the premise of the following article. The misuse of antibiotics is definitely largely responsible for creating drug-resistant bugs. I believe our family doctors have been much more attuned to this fact than major hospitals. For several years now we've been getting general advice rather than antibiotics to combat our minor infections. Reducing the antibiotic use I believe is absolutely crucial to combating this problem.
    . . . June


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Misuse of antibiotics:
Business Standard  | 2010-09-13 10:11:00

The government of India has reportedly constituted a committee to formulate a policy for the rational use of antibiotics. This is in response to a report in a globally reputed medical journal on a drug-resistant bacteria or superbug, which has been found to be currently confined to the subcontinent. A superbug represents the end of the road in fighting infections with newer drugs as bacteria become resistant to older ones. So, the only way to prevent getting to that stage is to slow down resistance to antibiotics by ensuring that they are used sparingly. A policy is welcome, indeed, to have uniform norms for the whole country in this battle.

Today individual players in health care do pretty much what they think is sensible and can thus cancel out each other’s efforts. Formulating a policy by putting eminent heads together is the easier part of the battle. But implementing that policy, even if it contains deterrent penalties, is difficult.
The task ahead is Herculean, because it requires a change of culture both on the part of doctors and patients. In a country where a significant portion of the people cannot afford most useful medicines, doctors routinely over-prescribe antibiotics to those who consult them. What is worse, patients are often dissatisfied with a doctor who may advise that, say, a viral infection should be roughed out if it does not get serious and not be pointlessly treated with antibiotics. This is, of course, just a little better than in China where many patients are not satisfied unless a doctor prescribes an injectable. Poor and uninformed patients in India also routinely use an older prescription to treat a new ailment whose symptoms appear similar, and then do not complete a course once undertaken. Further, although antibiotics are to be sold only against prescriptions, chemists routinely sell them over the counter, acting as makeshift doctors in response to patients’ narration of symptoms and request for some golian (tablets).
The regulatory system can begin with implementing the policy in hospitals which should adopt the right treatment protocols and — very important — remain clean so that they don’t become a serious source of infection. Overcrowded government hospitals are a major worry on the latter. But it is far more difficult to re-educate doctors.

Read on . . .

New Type Of Superbug Detected In Japan

 This new type of superbug is, according to the article below, resistant to ALL antibiotics. Great! Japan's health ministry launched a nationwide survey on the superbugs. The world health agency gave a warning on the potential risk of NDM-1 spreading worldwide as all of the British patients were medical tourists to South Asia.
    . . . June


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Japan Detects a New Type of Superbug
Arirang | Korea for the World, The World for Korea - Arirang.co.kr:

Japan's health authorities confirmed that a new type of superbug has been identified which is resistant to all antibiotics.

New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase-1 or NDM-1 enzyme, which was first discovered in New Delhi, India has been found to turn bacteria into so called 'superbugs'.

Dokkyo Medical University Hospital in Tochigi prefecture in Japan detected this superbug case in a 50-year-old patient last year who suffered a severe fever after he returned home from his trip to India in May 2009.

Following the identified case of Japan's first superbug as well as the seperate case of 46 patients infected with Acinetobacter killing 9 people Japan's health ministry launched a nationwide survey on the superbugs.

[Interview : Yonetoshi Nakagawara, Head
Department of Medical Safety ] "Our priority is to find out where the infection came from and prevent the infection from spreading further from the currently infected patients."

According to the hospital the patient fully recovered and there was no contagion.

The WHO released research in the Lancet medical journal in mid-August which identified the cases in which 37 patients from Britain were infected with the superbug carrying NDM-1 gene.

The world health agency gave a warning on the potential risk of NDM-1 spreading worldwide as all of the British patients were medical tourists to South Asia.

The first death directly attributed to NDM-1 was reported in Belgium in August.

Read on . . .

Are There Ways To Eat Eggs Safely ?

The article below tells us how to safeguard ourselves against the salmonella outbreak even while we continue to eat eggs.
Pasteurization eliminates salmonella. Apparently Davidson's Safest Choice eggs use an all-natural pasteurization process. They proclaim that consumers can even eat their eggs over easy and avoid food poisoning.
Just be cautious!
   . . . June 

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Is it safe to eat eggs?
September 2nd, 2010 6:08 am PT  Palm Springs fountain of youth | Examiner.com

The local outbreak of salmonella tainted eggs has caused suspicion on the safety of the United States egg supply. Many people are asking, 'Is it safe to eat eggs?'

The Centers for Disease Control continues to issue a warnings to consumers not to eat recalled eggs. 'Recalled eggs might still be in grocery stores, restaurants, and consumers' homes', reports the CDC. The CDC also advices that consumer only eat fully cooked eggs: both yolk and whites are hardened.

Pasteurization eliminates salmonella. Davidson's Safest Choice eggs use an all-natural pasteurization process. They proclaim that consumers can even eat their eggs over easy and avoid food poisoning.

News reports from Palm Springs radio station Mix 100.5 stated that the recalled eggs will not be wasted but will be pasteurized and used commercially in ice cream, mayonnaise and other foods.
Egg Beaters liquid eggs say that they only use "pasteurized liquid eggs and there is no risk to any of our products."
Health experts state that eggs are a good source of protein and provide nutrients our bodies need. Dr. J. Mercola, D.O. writes that raw eggs are one of best sources of high-quality nutrients and that the pasteurization process destroys these vital nutrients. The best, nutritional and safest eggs to eat are locally grown, organic, and cage free.

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Superbugs Are A Threat To Our Hospitals

 Hospitals are constantly fighting the threat of superbugs and the addition of this new one will just make things scarier still. The fact that many doctors still treat most infections with antibiotics, is a huge contributing factor to creating these resistant bugs. Read more in the article below.
  
. . . June



Expert warns of superbugs threat to UAE hospitals: 
Asma Ali Zain 31 August 2010, 10:58 PM

The number of ‘superbugs’ or bacteria resistant to common antibiotics is increasing each year in hospitals in the UAE, according to a surveillance programme.

While calling for more effective infection control measures in local hospitals, an expert has said the threat from superbugs is constant but in most cases it is either hospital or speciality specific.

Attributing the increase in the number of superbugs to abuse of antibiotics within hospitals, he said there was not enough compliance within the healthcare system.

“Doctors within hospitals are prescribing unnecessary antibiotics that is wiping out sensitivity and increasing resistance against bacteria,” said Dr Ashraf Mahmoud El Houfi, Chairman of the Infection Control Committee UAE. “If someone has a sore throat, he will take an antibiotic either over-the-counter or ask the doctor to prescribe it. This builds resistance,” he said

A central Infection Control Programme set up under the Dubai Health Authority and implemented in Dubai’s main hospitals including Rashid Hospital, Al Wasl and Dubai Hospital have been seeing a constant increase in the number and percentage of infections over the past three years.

The expert also says that fear arising from reports of the new superbug New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase (NDM-1) are largely unfounded. “This is not a new discovery since bacteria have been fighting for their survival since the 1950s when the first such discovery was made,” he said.

According to a study in the Lancet Infectious Diseases Journal, the strain may have originated in India and spread to parts of the world. If it jumps between strains of bacteria then untreatable infections could spread from patient to patient, fear experts.

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