New superbug gene could spread widely

Isn't globalization grand?

Unless there's a 100% mortality rate (which doesn't appear so based on the article), it should be possible to come up with a defence against it.

Can you explain that in more detail?

Not necessarily. Plenty of bugs that have built up defences against antibiotics that just a few decades ago wiped them out.

Can you explain that in more detail?

If this superbug doesn't cause 100% mortality (AKA kill everyone it infects), then theoretically there should be someone who got infected and survived and now has immunity to it.

I'm not an immunologist, but I assume that Pfizer or someone could do take the anti-bodies from survivors and develop some sort of new antibiotics by studying those anti-bodies.

Then again, maybe not, I honestly don't know.

Can you explain that in more detail?

If this superbug doesn't cause 100% mortality (AKA kill everyone it infects), then theoretically there should be someone who got infected and survived and now has immunity to it.

I'm not an immunologist, but I assume that Pfizer or someone could do take the anti-bodies from survivors and develop some sort of new antibiotics by studying those anti-bodies.

Then again, maybe not, I honestly don't know.

So if 99% of us die, you're OK with that, nothing to worry about, because the human race will go on?

Can you explain that in more detail?

If this superbug doesn't cause 100% mortality (AKA kill everyone it infects), then theoretically there should be someone who got infected and survived and now has immunity to it.

I'm not an immunologist, but I assume that Pfizer or someone could do take the anti-bodies from survivors and develop some sort of new antibiotics by studying those anti-bodies.

Then again, maybe not, I honestly don't know.

Believe me but its not that simple. For one the fact they survived may not have been due antibodies or any type of immune response. Second, with antibiotics you need to be able to get any treatment into the proper body location in an effective does. That is why infections in areas like the spinal cord are so dangerous. Its very difficult to get antibiotics across the blood-brain barrier.

In addition it may be killing the bug that causes a greater patient mortality especially if it causes the bug to release toxins into the body, like C. difficile. In fact C. difficile brings up another point, namely that any treatment risks also affecting normal body bug flora which can lead to even more serious infections.

Us and Bacteria are involved in the worlds oldest arms race.

So if 99% of us die, you're OK with that, nothing to worry about, because the human race will go on?



Sometimes talking to you is like talking to a wall...sigh.

The point is that if people have survived this 'superbug', then they are immune and science should theoretically be able to figure out why they are now immune and develop a new batch of antibiotics to wipe this fella out too. That's how they develop the flu vaccine every year (and yes I know viruses and bacteria are different beasts), but I assume that immunologists could reverse engineer something (penicillin, amoxicillin, whatever) to be able wipe out this bastard too.

Then again, maybe not, I don't honestly know.

Believe me but its not that simple. For one the fact they survived may not have been due antibodies or any type of immune response. Second, with antibiotics you need to be able to get any treatment into the proper body location in an effective does. That is why infections in areas like the spinal cord are so dangerous. Its very difficult to get antibiotics across the blood-brain barrier.

In addition it may be killing the bug that causes a greater patient mortality especially if it causes the bug to release toxins into the body, like C. difficile. In fact C. difficile brings up another point, namely that any treatment risks also affecting normal body bug flora which can lead to even more serious infections.

Us and Bacteria are involved in the worlds oldest arms race.

Like I said, I don't honestly know if it's possible, I just hope/assume that our science is up to the task.

They don't seem to have done that with other superbugs, so I'm not sure why you're so hopeful in this case. In fact we seem to be running out of anti-biotics, I guess there are only so many variations possible.

Actually Boots, a vaccine isn't an antibiotic. Its an attenuated (non-virulent or inactivated) version of the target bug. It lets our immune system develop its own defences.

Theoretically speaking it doesn't matter if the bug was 0% fatal or 100% fatal. It won't affect the ability to develop a treatment. The more pressing factor would be the ability to culture the bug.

What!!! no bird/pig/cat/hippo flu this year?

It's the end of the world.

As long as it's the 99% of the human population that I don't know, I'm fine with it.