This week we watched the PBS video "The Evolutionary Arms Race" in which it outlined the probems associated with the evolution of TB. Reflecting on the video and / or the linked article below, comment on the evolution of TB. What do you think? What should society do? What steps should be taken?
http://www.crick.ac.uk/news/science-news/2013/09/01/70,000-years-of-tb-infection-and-evolution/
Comment on the video, the article, or the comments of one of your peers. Remember you have until Thursday Feb. 6th to make this post. All posts after 2/6/14 will not be graded.
With such a distribution of TB throughout Russia, especially the prisons, it is important to begin intense treatments. Although the PBS video was first broadcast in 2001, the TB outbreak continued for more than a decade after. In this case, I believe it would be very important for Russian government or hospitals to provide mass screening for the disease to battle its spread. With the evolution of TB, it is even more important to begin treatments sooner than later. Once aware of the disease within the population, it would be necessary to begin the treatments. As in the video, the idea of treating the "hubs" of the disease, the prisons, is the best first step to battle the ever-changing disease.
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ReplyDeleteAs Mandy said, I definitely think that it is imperative to focus on the "hubs" of the disease. If the main portion of those in the Russian jails, for instance, were treated so that their bacteria is no longer resistant to multiple antibiotics, there would be far fewer outbreaks caused by those previously in prison. Also, I believe that there should be routine checkups, primarily searching for tuberculosis. If those who have contracted the disease are stopped before they can spread the bacteria, there would be significantly fewer individuals infected. Finally, I'm not sure if this is possible, but researchers should come up with a different method of treating TB. It is clear that the bacteria is out-evolving our antibiotics, and I wonder if there may be a more effective way to deal with this issue.
ReplyDeleteOkay so this might sound a little messed up since it's a deadly disease, but I think it's actually pretty interesting to see how the TB has evolved so quickly to adapt to how humans and society are changing. As previously stated, it's important to figure out how to deal with this disease ASAP, so we can get the upper hand in this "evolutionary arms race" with our antibiotics. If it's going to keep evolving, then we also need to evolve our drugs to be able to prevent and cure as many cases as possible.
ReplyDeleteCraig, I agree that it's really interesting how quickly the TB virus adapts itself to survive in its host body. As destructive as the virus can be, like any other organism its main goal is to evolve and continue to live. On the other hand, since it's such a destructive virus, it's vital we find a way to keep it from spreading so that we can keep the human race thriving. While we're currently intensifying the potency of our antibiotics for TB, how long will that last until this "all-new" potent antibiotic becomes ineffective? We're going to have to keep evolving our medications until they reach a point where they can't become any more powerful. At that point, we're going to be forced to seek other methods to prevent the spread of TB--perhaps quarantining-- although hopefully it doesn't become that extreme anytime soon.
DeleteFor the most part, I thing the main thing that should be done to stop the spread of TB is to immediately isolate people who are showing symptoms. The Russian prison systems are ridiculously overcrowded and spreading of the disease is inevitable, but people in the government should be doing more to build more prisons, and to increase the import of TB treatment drugs that actually work. Also, like Emma said, there really should be more research for new drugs that can can beat all the forms of TB that can infect a patient, and that can hopefully take care of all of the drug-resistant bacteria. Lastly, I think that there really should be more done for the inmates leaving the prison system while they are still infected with the disease, and perhaps infected people could stay at special clinics or hospitals while they're still trying to figure out their treatment, instead of being sent onto public transportation with the unsuspecting public.
ReplyDeleteIt would be nice to be able to develop a drug that could treat bacteria such as TB, but no matter what, TB or other bacteria will most likely develop a resistance to that drug and over-power it. As suggested in the article, we could try to identify the "events affecting evolution of bacteria," and attempt to prevent them from happening or at least reduce the impact. However, similar to developing drug resistance, it is likely that the bacteria will find other ways to evolve and wreak havoc. The best we can do for now, being unable to control other important factors such as population increase, is to go punch for punch with the bacteria, developing our antibiotics and treatments to match their evolution and expansion.
ReplyDeleteI think that the spread of TB is something that will continue to evade modern drugs based on modern drug creation. It is true that we created these resistances, but it is also true that the microbe has become extremely strong, stronger than we intended. The failure to properly treat TB and follow through with proper medication has created this, but it does not mean that this is the end of our fight with TB. Certain precautions can be taken to minimize the spread of these multidrug stains, and with these steps, we might be able to curtail the spread of TB and potentially kill it off with isolation of the disease. I think we as a society should be made more aware of the microbes that surround us, and install some sort of health check point in all major transportation stations. This way, we can monitor the certain diseases that are coming in and out of our country, making it possible to deny admission into the country if said person carries a deadly microbe that will infect our population.
ReplyDeletePretty much everyone so far has brought up the point that new treatments are needed to fight TB, but the biggest problem is that it keeps evolving in its hosts and then spreading to other people where it can evolve again. In order to really crack down on this disease and others like it, infected people need to be isolated for healthy ones. That way even if medication is not able to save someone at least the strain of TB that they have will not be passed on to another person and will therefore eventually die out on its own. I know that sounds really dark, but unless there is a miracle drug that can eliminate 100% of the bacteria they will keep getting stronger and stronger.
ReplyDeleteGrowing drug-resistance is a huge and pressing problem, so we should try and attack it from all possible angles. Obviously, continued development and use of new antibiotics should be pursued, because they save many lives in the short term, but they should be under much more regulation and only distributed to those who really need them. For the long term, we should focus on researching the mechanisms of action and metabolic pathways of these new viruses and their effects on humans to try and develop a way to make people immune to the virus. We should also try and prevent its spread by, as Jacob said, containing those who are infected, but also educating those in poverty and third world countries about proper sanitation and prevention techniques to stop the rapid spread of these deadly pathogens.
ReplyDeleteThe growing number of drug resist bacteria is a major concern today, and unless we approach this problem with a new tactic bacteria strains are going to continue to evolve and become more and more difficult to cure. I believe the immediate response to this outbreak in Russia should be attack the bacteria of TB at its source in the prison system. I believe that there should be steps taken to ensure the entire curing process is completed even when prisoners are released, and that those who are infected are aware and kept in isolation until treatment is completed. Although this may help at first, humans need to work towards doing as the film suggested and finding a way to have bacteria evolve to our advantage. If we are able to evolve to bacteria to a point where it is not longer lethal than there would be no need to invest in antibiotics which would have eventually been resisted by the bacteria anyway.
ReplyDeleteI think its really interesting how evolution can translate into the medical world. It's truly a concept that governs all life on earth. In the case of TB, while its evolution is life threatening i find it incredibly interesting. The advantage that evolution gives the different strains of TB is a dangerous one but even so it is yet another bit of evidence that proves the existence of evolution. In terms of how our society should deal with this problem there is really no simple solution except for the one that the video presented which was to use evolution against the TB. If there is a type of cell that can be found that is resistant to TB then maybe the disease could be destroyed.
ReplyDeleteAs several people have mentioned I think the best way to combat this disease is to "nip it in the bud". I think to many people it seems a little wasteful to cure the disease in Russian criminals, some of whom will never leave prison. However if TB can be eradicated from Russian prisons the criminals who do leave will not be able to pass it on to the greater public creating a large scale epidemic. It's nearly impossible to find all of the people in society with the disease and completely unaffordable to cure them. However, if those with the disease are kept quarantined until they are cured (in prison) the deadly disease might be stopped. However, now that there are thousands of people outside of the prisons with TB it's hard to say what can be done. If governments were able to quickly intercept these sick people, quarantine them, and treat them for free (otherwise poor people would not be able to be helped) TB could at least be decreased. It is hard to say if a disease that is so adaptable can ever be eradicated unless a vaccine could be created and administered to children to prevent future generations from having TB.
ReplyDeleteI think it is scary that TB and other diseases can evolve with humans along our history of migration. I think that it is important to focus on the main areas with TB, especially where conditions aren't great, and the disease can be spread quickly. For example, in the movie they focused on russian jails and made sure every patient with TB took their full dosage of antibiotics. Each patient took their antibiotics for the correct amount of time, so they were completely clear of TB, and no other strain could reappear. I think our society should be more strict about when, and how long the antibiotics should be prescribed, because this disease evolves very quickly, and many strains are already resistant to most antibiotics.
ReplyDeleteCurrently, I think it's important that the FDA and other organizations across the world focused on drug control need to start taking the genetic potential of diseases and the new era of drug resistant bacteria a little more seriously. The vast number of over prescribed drugs by doctors and misuse of these prescriptions, especially in the US, continues to help viruses and diseases like TB evolve into highly drug resistant strains making the already strained pharmaceutical market even worse. While also controlling areas where TB is over treated, it is also important to control areas where it is under treated and deadlier and more harmful strains are able to multiply and run rampant throughout communities. By evenly treating TB on a global scale we can slow the harmful evolution of the disease to our best ability and save lives and money for the future.
ReplyDeleteSources: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/study-shows-70-percent-of-americans-take-prescription-drugs/
Particularly in the past century, humans have developed medically and technologically, thereby allowing the population to "outsmart" natural selection. However, as demonstrated by the evolution of TB, the karma of natural selection is coming back around and putting the massive human population in check. Interestingly, the miracle remedy of disease (antibiotics) is actually making it more resistant in the future. Like the saying goes, what doesn't kill the bacterial strain entirely makes it stronger. With this in mind, I don't think we should turn to bio-medical engineering because that could play out catastrophically in nature if there were even the slightest miscalculation. Rather, if possible, the weaker strains should somehow be artificially selected to survive. Otherwise, the only way to kill the most resistant strains of TB would be to leave it to the immune system, which would cost many lives.
ReplyDeleteAs a world power, the US needs to step in and aid less developed countries in the fight against disease. It is acceptable to maintain an isolated point of view wishing to leave countries like Russia alone in their fight against TB, but when this disease is rapidly becoming immune to new medications and is spreading to countries worldwide (including the US), it needs to be killed at the roots. In the prisons in Russia, the conditions are extremely unsafe. The TB treatments on prisoners should be carried out to the full extent, otherwise the prisons will act as a breeding ground for drug resistant strains of TB. I am aware it isn't as easy as it sounds for the US to help out Russia but it is important to do so before resistant strains start infecting the entire globe at a faster rate than new and improved drug production in the US.
ReplyDeleteThe World Health Organization Tuberculosis Fact Sheet notes that that TB is second only to AIDS in the number of people it kills each year and 95% of those are in low to middle income countries. It is encouraging to hear that the world is on track to reach its goal of reversing the spread of TB by 2015. However, there are good reasons for the developed world to invest in an accelerated, comprehensive eradication program. First, air-born transmission makes first world infections possible through air travel. Second, it has shown itself to be highly adaptive and multi-drug resistance is growing; it is important to eradicate TB in developing countries as it has been in the developed world before it has time to evolve additional resistance. Third, since young adults are most at risk, an epidemic could have significant impact on the most productive segment of the workforce and on emerging markets in the worldwide economy. TB is easily treated today, let's take it out before that changes.
ReplyDeleteWith the how fast the disease is growing and infecting people I think society should keep the people who have been infected and have been treated in a certain area in isolation from other healthy people. Since this disease is so easily passed along I think it would be beneficial to keep these people in containment just in case if they could still be carriers for the disease even when they don't exhibit signs from the infection. Like in the video, after the infected people were released from jail in Russia they were released into the world which allowed the disease to spread like wild fire. In this special space for the patients scientist can then focus on the TB and see similarities and differences in how they are reacting to the medicine and treatments in certain people.
ReplyDeleteAs Chris mentioned a couple posts ago, the only sustainable way to prevent the Tuberculosis virus from continuing to resist medication and becoming more and more versatile in the process is to use its own evolution against it. With the human population on an exponential curve, and growth most concentrated in the countries that cannot really account for their growing population, it will become just as virtually impossible to locate and quarantine EVERYONE that carries a contagious strain of TB as it will be to build enough medical centers and supply enough space to care for only them. Realistically, scientists will likely never be able to stumble upon one, all-inclusive antibiotic; and so in understanding that we must also understand that we are destined to fight an eternal war with microbes (it sounds silly, but it’s awful, and it’s already 70,000 years in the making) if we can’t step back and buy ourselves into a different approach with the disease. That’s not to say, though, that many of the things that are already being done shouldn’t still apply. The more we know about TB, the more prepared we are to “outsmart” it, so to speak, so TB research should never be considered complete. Likewise, we should continue to make TB a worldwide concern, and embrace it as such through a system of international support and education. And most important of all, we cannot stress enough the importance of COMPLETE treatment of the disease; those that knowingly have it simply cannot be allowed to “stop” their medication halfway – it is counterproductive in so many regards, and usually more than that one person or doctor knows. Yet, what I, like Chris (I hope I'm not putting words in your mouth, Chris) feel to be what we should be spending most of our time on with the virus is investing in research to weaken TB strains through artificial selection against it. Because TB, like essentially every other kind of life there is, cannot choose how it evolves, and so if we can present it with an environment that will continually “select” it to be treatable with medicine we already have, we’ll at least be on a more promising path than we were before.
ReplyDeleteNature almost inevitably finds a way to fight back to restrictions - we see this not only in disease and other bacteria, but in human responses to safety restrictions all the time. But it seems to me that the battle is almost always an uphill one. As we further develop our sanitation and inoculation methods, it is becoming obvious, such as in the case of this multi-drug resistant TB, that evolution reigns true. I agree that trying engineer either medication or the particular strain of bacteria/virus to become less resistant is risky. There must somehow be a way to either select-for (as Chris wrote above) the less-resistant strains, or somehow build up resistance in humans. As I've noticed, several medications stop to work the more I take them. That's obviously not a solution, but it just exemplifies the problem that man is fighting mano a mano with nature against something almost imperceptible. It seems to me that there needs to be a way to monitor/breed the current threats and help those in immediate danger while also finding a way to cut back on human dependence on drugs and somehow work to build up human immune systems. That being said, I don't think we need to be taking our children off of certain vaccines or inoculations, but I think that we may need to suffer the less dangerous illnesses to try and evolve with them, not allow them to evolve against us.
ReplyDeleteWith how quickly Tuberculosis is spreading, we need to find a way to stop it before it literally takes over the world. I think that for right now, really the only viable solution to this is to isolate the people who are infected with this disease. Obviously, it would be impossible to isolate every single person with this disease, but isolating as many people as possible is really all we can do now until scientists can find a way to stop the spread of TB. A good example of this would be the jail in Russia that was being shown in the movie. If groups of that size can get isolated, it would probably eliminate a lot of spread of this disease. Since TB is such a contagious disease, it is important that it gets stopped before everyone gets infected. These people in isolation, and all people who are infected, need to be closely monitored to make sure that they are taking the antibiotics they are given. Hopefully if one day the antibiotics get strong enough, it will cause the disease to die out. It is scary to think that you don't even have to have physical contact with an infected person to catch TB, you can just be around them when they are talking.
ReplyDeleteThe battle with TB is one of many - bacterial strains of several infectious species are evolving to resist antibiotics. As such, we either have to keep developing stronger and stronger drugs or find a different way to exploit and kill bacteria. A good step to improving conditions would be to impose stricter regulations for medication and quarantines - nobody should be allowed to stop treatment halfway unless doing so would seriously harm them, and as many infected people as possible should be quarantined. However, this is merely a reactive solution. Actively studying TB evolution and its genome could reveal weaknesses that we don't know about. We have to develop a way to keep ahead of TB evolution while ensuring that we don't unwittingly create even more drug-resistant strains.
ReplyDeleteTo fight TB, we should have stricter regulations imposed on those who have the disease. Those infected should have to wear a mask to try and prevent its spread, and people who work around the infected should also have to wear a mask to keep it as contained as possible. It should be mandatory that people complete their treatments so that the TB doesn't evolve to resist whatever drug is being used against it. Although it's a terrible disease, I think its fascinating that it has been evolving with humans for so long. There is also so much potential for scientists to find new ways of combating it that can also be used against other harmful bacteria.
ReplyDeleteBecause the evolved strains of TB are so difficult to treat, it is crucial that those who are infected are prevented from spreading the disease. Options must be available for people who are infected, such as specialized treatment centers, where they can receive treatment without having the risk of infecting others. In addition, all those who are infected with this strain of TB must fully complete their treatment regimens; otherwise, additional drug-resistant strains may evolve and lead to another epidemic. The film indicated that not enough antibiotics for the drug-resistant strain were available to completely treat all those who needed them, which led to the growth of the epidemic. To prevent these strains from evolving further, these antibiotics would need to be produced in greater quantities so as to eradicate this particular strain of TB.
ReplyDeleteIt seems to me that the only way to eradicate the strains of TB is so ensure the completion of treatment of any and all of those infected. TB strains keep becoming more drug resistant due to letting patients discontinue treatment, allowing the surviving and more resistant bacteria to multiply. Therefore, stricter regulations should go into the management of these patients while they undergo treatment; along with implementing a more restrictions, developing stronger medications to combat the strains presently evolving to become more deadly also needs to be done. Another solution might be to drive the evolution of TB in such a direction that it becomes less deadly to humans like it was suggested in the video. The only concern I have is how long would that process take in comparison to the complete eradication of the disease from isolated populations using more severe medication?
ReplyDeleteAs many people have mentioned, these new strains of bacterial diseases are potentially deadly to our society. As new viruses evolve and become resistant to antibiotics, then scientists will need to manufacture new drugs. However, eventually the bacteria will be resistant to these drugs too, creating a vicious cycle between the sickness and the cure. As Tim (and probably others) have stated, the overuse of prescription drugs given out nowadays. These drugs are probably speeding up the evolution of the bacteria, which will affect how much funding doctors will need to create the new drugs to battle the new generation of diseases. At some point however, there will be a bacteria-caused disease without an antidote that could cause a devastating epidemic. In the case of the TB outbreak in the Russian prison, something needs to be done to eradicate the virus before it spread elsewhere. The most ethical thing to do would be to give out costly antibiotics to the convicted criminals; however, quarantining them would be another viable option (if they were serving life sentences).
ReplyDeleteThe spread of TB is something that most people on the planet are completely unaware of. I know that, before I watched this video during class, I had no clue about the seriousness of this epidemic. One of the main things that society should to do to help prevent a worldwide disease outbreak is to educate people about the signs of TB. If people are able to recognize when they start to get the symptoms of the disease, there will be more of chance that they will seek treatment faster and therefore prevent more spreading of the virus.
ReplyDeleteI think the approach that we have to battle the many drug resistant for of TB needs to be changed. The more antibiotics we use in attempt to get rid of the virus only makes the virus harder and harder to cure those suffering from it. I am sure the CDC is already working up new ways to try and fight the disease but in the mean time until significant progress can be made with fighting the disease I think that the US should start screening for the disease. As the film mentioned strains of drug resistant TB have already appeared in the US. These screenings would be a good precautionary measure to try and catch the disease early. Also, steps need to be taken reduce those infected with TB in Russian prisons because that seems to be the prime conditions for it to spread and survive before getting out into the regular population. However, this is will be very hard to do because few people infected in these locations are able to complete their treatment.
ReplyDeleteI think that it is very important to start educating the people of the world about TB and the symptoms and signs associated with the disease. Hopefully, with the education of the disease, those who may be infected will seek treatment; therefore, scientists must keep studying and learning more about the evolution of TB so a helpful treatment for the disease can be found. Reflecting on what other people have said, I don't think isolating those infected with TB will be possible or helpful. Even if isolating those infected was possible, another disease would eventually evolve and replace TB; however, things can be done to help prevent the spread of the disease and limit the number of people who become infected.
ReplyDeleteKate brought up a good point that enforcing stricter regulations for medications, quarantines, and screenings are merely reactive solutions. They serve as preventative measures for preventing new cases and for patients with cases of TB that have not yet developed into Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis. However, in areas such as the Russian prisons where TB control programs are weak, the number of patients with a drug-resistant TB strain is growing rampantly. As seen in these cases, as new antibiotics are developed and administered to patients infected with this strain, TB continues to evolve and become resistant to antibiotics and other drugs. Most antibiotics treat viruses by block essential functions in bacteria; the bacteria then mutates and eventually becomes resistant to that antibiotic. By continuing to study the genome of TB, maybe scientists will discover an antibiotic that the bacteria will not be able to become resistant to through mutation. Then we could successfully eradicate that strain of TB.
ReplyDeleteIt is both scary and interesting how TB has evolved to be unaffected by certain drugs that were once able to cure it. Like most people are saying, I think it is important that we focus on getting new and improved drugs to areas with the most people infected such as the prison in Russia to help ensure that the disease does not spread as quickly. It is also important to keep those infected away from those who are healthy before this disease becomes even more wide-spread. If this drug -resistant disease continues to infect people throughout the world, we could have a very serious problem on our hands.
ReplyDeletePerhaps natural selection will work with humans as it has with TB, allowing only those who are genetically more resistant to TB to survive (if such a gene exists). As TB has been evolving alongside humans for 70,000 years, I think it is unlikely to be eradicated. We must evolve alongside it if we wish to survive.
ReplyDeleteIn the meantime, perhaps we could establish laws that punish people for failing to continue their antibiotic prescriptions or otherwise exposing others to TB. It is also important to work on developing new, more effective drugs.
The best way to combat TB is to start with the strains and issues at hand. The prison system in Russia is an obvious breeding ground for disease and with some effort it could be overcome to make prisons more sanitary environments. Other obstacles are related to the role of drugs in fighting TB. In America, one of the biggest factors fueling the evolution of highly resistant strains is the over prescription of drugs. The strains are adapting so greatly to the effecta of other drugs that by the time a patient begins to use antibiotics, they have little effect on the disease. To have succes in curing and stopping the spread of TB, the key is to start at the root of the disease, instead if fighting the products, and work up from there
ReplyDeleteThe people who show symptoms of TB should be isolated from those who do not, and try several medications that could possibly have a positive effect on the people. The only way to control something like this is to be very persistent. That is what should be done for the TB evolution.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you completely McTigue. The first step to curing Tuberculosis is putting those effected by the disease in isolation. This is a key step because if the disease is not isolated then it could spread to those that are currently not effected. Second, is to have those effected by the disease to sample different medications until they find the medication that cures them. Doing this should hopefully be successful in eradicating most of the cases of Tuberculosis.
DeleteTo suggest that we should continue making stronger and stronger drugs would make me a cretin, but to suggest we let TB persist without treatment would make me a sociopath. I believe the key for addressing bacterial strains lies not in finding ways to kill them, but ways to cripple them by encouraging the growth of the less lethal strains. Similar to how wild cats have evolved to resist immune-suppressing diseases without wiping them out, I believe that we must find a way to compromise with TB rather than continue our war against it. Additionally, by supporting basic sanitation and sterile infrastructure, we can slow the spread of the disease until we develop the level of technology to initiate a compromise.
ReplyDeleteThis video was informative, but at the same time, quite scary to think about when considering the reality of the epidemic of TB. I think the best approach to battling this disease, and others that are evolving similarly, is to educate people on the way it is contracted and how it can be passed from one person to another, and then possibly give them a list of ways to prevent it. Next, there needs to be some sort of method to isolate mutated strands of the diseases and prevent them from gaining further resistance to commonly used medicines...if TB can take over a huge population of a country, then we need to be weary of other diseases mutating in similar ways.
ReplyDeleteI agree with everyone that has already stated that the disease needs to be isolated and restrained. People who have the disease need to be put on a strict treatment to try to prevent the spread of the disease, like the prisoners in Russia. The public needs to be educated on how this disease is spread, considering it can spread rapidly, especially in large cities. It is most important for the public to know about the causes and effects of this disease, as it is gaining drug resistance.
ReplyDeleteI agree with most of my peer in saying that the spread of TB is a huge concern and the first step that needs to be taken in order to combat this disease lies within the Russian prison system. However some have suggested that we punish those who do not comply with their prescriptions, not taking the full dose, thus exposing others to this disease. This is a ridiculous suggestion as there is little to no way of regulating who did and did not take all of their pills. Our best bet is to educate the public on the dangers of TB, how it can be spread, and steps they can take to prevent this disease. Other than that we need to continue to try to eradicate this disease form it's ground zero, the Russian prison system. In order to make this a reality Russia would have to revamp their current system as it is obviously not working. If prisons in Russia are in such poor condition that they are able to breed diseases like TB then that is a problem that needs to be solve and one that is far easier to solve than that of TB.
ReplyDeleteI agree with all that has been said regarding the TB virus. More specifically, I fully support that in order to stop the spread of this drug resistant disease it needs to be treated at the source (in this case it is the Russian jails). However, there is one large problem that many people in the world may grumble about: why would tax payers pay more money to cure criminals? This is what makes this topic of the advancing TB so controversial.
ReplyDeleteDrug-resistance in bacteria has become a larger problem due primarily to a failure of medicine to adapt in the ways bacteria have. New antibiotics are essential to help keep effectiveness high and also to counter the countless number of mutations seen in any bacteria strain. This new drugs will ultimately save lives shortly after being introduced, but it is important that they not be over proscribed, resulting in a short life span for the antibiotics as bacteria build a tolerance to these drugs and ultimately evolve to counteract the drug's effects. In the realm of longsighted science, it is important that research into immunity become paramount as these diseases will continue to evolve around medication until they can be stopped completely. Science should ideally isolate the pathway to infection and seek to disarm bacteria before they ever pose a threat. This may be the only real feasible cure for the super bugs that have arisen in recent years, due to an overuse of antibiotics across the board.
ReplyDeleteA disease as adaptive as this cannot be treated in easy steps, it needs to be subjugated to extreme variations in environment, a feat difficult to achieve when dealing with live patients in restricted and dense areas. Hopefully, an acknowledgment of this situation will lead drug producers to construct a drug treatment procedure, reliant on several individual compounds, rather than rolling out yet another temporary patch drug that the disease only becomes resistant to and spreads further.
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