• Question: How close are we to most types of bacteria becoming immune to antibacterial?

    Asked by to Amy, Anita, Daryl, Nimesh, Sandra on 19 Jun 2014. This question was also asked by .
    • Photo: Amy Monaghan

      Amy Monaghan answered on 19 Jun 2014:

      Hey Jimc3cory

      Unfortunately several strains of bacteria are already immune to antibiotics. This is due to a number of reasons including over use by both doctors and farmers, but also because people do not take their full course of antibiotics. Bacteria are also constantly naturally evolving, so to continue to survive they must develop resistance mechanisms.

      I don’t think you need to worry about a post-antibiotic apocolypse in the next ten years. However it is more important now than ever that scientists find new ways to target bacteria. If you head over to the Longitude Prize zone the antibiotics team will be able to tell you lots more about the ways we are now fighting bacteria

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      Also in the news today scientists have found a brand new way to target drug-resistant bacteria. They are calling this a drug against the bacteria “brick laying” protein. If you imagine a bacterium in a balloon full of water, placed inside a cardboard box: scientists are trying to use drugs to break the cardboard box and balloon – bursting the bacteria which causes it to die. Human cells don’t have the cardboard box wall, so they aren’t affected by these drugs. If you want to read more about targeting the “bricklayer protein” follow the link here:

      http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-27907461

      I hope this is helpful!
      Amy

    • Photo: Anita Thomas

      Anita Thomas answered on 20 Jun 2014:

      Dear jimc3cory,

      Even as we speak, ingenious people are thinking of more and more ways of ‘fighting’ bacteria……………I think that we can rely on human ingenuity to keep the bacteria at bay for a while yet.

      However, we all need to do our bit to help! It makes my blood boil when I hear of people not finishing off a course of antibiotics, or missing doses during their treatment. This, unfortunately, is one way that a bacteria may become resistant to an antibiotic. Giving prophylactic antibiotics (eg antibiotics to healthy chickens) is also going to help the bacteria, eventually.

      Best wishes,
      Anita.

    • Photo: Nimesh Mistry

      Nimesh Mistry answered on 20 Jun 2014:

      Depends on the speed that bacteria become resistant to anitbiotics, compared to the speed that we can make new antibiotics that are resistant.

      Generally we are ok for now but there are strains of bacteria that are immune to all the antibiotics, we’ve got. What’s worrying is that we haven’t developed any new antibiotics in 20-30 years but at the moment, what we’ve got seems to be ok against the majority of bacteria. I don’t think that will last, but I don’t know when it will change.

    • Photo: Daryl Jones

      Daryl Jones answered on 27 Jun 2014:

      Hi jimc3cory!

      Well, bacteria evolve a lot to combat our antibacterials. But to fight back , we are making new and stronger antibacterials!

      If we all used LESS antibacterials and had dirty hands more often for example, the bacteria would actually become less immune to our antibacterials! Crazy! 🙂

      Thanks for your question!
      Daryl

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