[QUOTE]
The decades-long drought in antibiotic discovery could be over after a breakthrough by US scientists.
Their novel method for growing bacteria has yielded 25 new antibiotics, with one deemed "very promising".
The last new class of antibiotics to make it to clinic was discovered nearly three decades ago.
The study, in the journal Nature, has been described as a "game-changer" and experts believe the antibiotic haul is just the "tip of the iceberg".
The heyday of antibiotic discovery was in the 1950s and 1960s, but nothing found since 1987 has made it into doctor's hands.
[/QUOTE]
Source: [url]http://www.bbc.com/news/health-30657486[/url]
This is one of the best news for us as a specie in a long while. And it can get even better:
[QUOTE]
The researchers also believe that bacteria are unlikely to develop resistance to teixobactin.
It targets fats which are essential for building the bacterial cell wall, and the scientists argue it would be difficult to evolve resistance.
"Here is an antibiotic that essentially evolved to be free of resistance," said Prof Lewis. "We haven't seen that before.
"It has several independent different tricks that minimise resistance development."
...
"It's impressive what they've done. From one soil sample they've found one new antibiotic, and their approach opens up a new route to a huge number of potential products.
"They have shown that screening soil microorganisms for antibiotics is unfinished business."
However, he cautioned that although the new antibiotic had exciting properties, it was too early to conclude it would entirely avoid the development of resistance.
[/QUOTE]
This is great news, hopefully further testing shows very little signs of any bacteria developing resistance to it.
[quote]There are limits to the discovery of the antibiotic teixobactin, which has yet to be tested in people.
It works on only Gram-positive bacteria; this includes MRSA and mycobacterium tuberculosis.
It cannot penetrate the extra layer of protection in Gram-negative bacteria such as E. coli.[/quote]
Hmm. Still quite good if it's feasible, tuberculosis sucks major ass.
Even if it works and even if bacteria are as unlikely to grow resistant against it as foretold, it will only postpone the inevitable. We need research that will free our species of the heavy dependency on antibiotics before it's too late.
If the doctor tells you to take antibiotics for 14 days, don't fuckin' decide on day 11 that you're feeling better and don't need them anymore. You're single handedly engineering our doomsday
[QUOTE=Awesomecaek;46877505]We need research that will free our species of the heavy dependency on antibiotics before it's too late.[/QUOTE]
Isn't the problem really from other species though. I thought one of the biggest contributors to resistant bacteria were farm animals. (Of course it is technically our fault from giving it to them in the first place)
now make sure that farmers cant buy it and feed it to his cattle like it's fucking candy and make it prescription only.
[QUOTE=toaster468;46877570]Isn't the problem really from other species though. I thought one of the biggest contributors to resistant bacteria were farm animals. (Of course it is technically our fault from giving it to them in the first place)[/QUOTE]
That's why this discovery is great, now we can fatten our cows even faster. No but seriously, you're right, along with what ZakkShock said.
It will still take a long time for this to become available as a drug.
Cool, a new antibiotic. I actually just used this as an opportunity to start my first Wikipedia article.
[QUOTE=Zarfa;46877660]It will still take a long time for this to become available as a drug.[/QUOTE]
Maybe, but there's nothing like a medical catastrophe to make something a priority.
[QUOTE=ZakkShock;46877557]If the doctor tells you to take antibiotics for 14 days, don't fuckin' decide on day 11 that you're feeling better and don't need them anymore. You're single handedly engineering our doomsday[/QUOTE]
do doctors nowadays warn of this? i feel like less people would do it if doctors said something like you absolutely must take all of them even if you start feeling better otherwise you are putting yourself at risk
[QUOTE]The researchers also believe that bacteria are unlikely to develop resistance to teixobactin.
It targets fats which are essential for building the bacterial cell wall, and the scientists argue it would be difficult to evolve resistance.
"Here is an antibiotic that essentially evolved to be free of resistance," said Prof Lewis. "We haven't seen that before.
"It has several independent different tricks that minimise resistance development."
...
[B]"It's impressive what they've done. From one soil sample they've found one new antibiotic[/B], and their approach opens up a new route to a huge number of potential products.
"They have shown that screening soil microorganisms for antibiotics is unfinished business."
However, he cautioned that although the new antibiotic had exciting properties, it was too early to conclude it would entirely avoid the development of resistance.[/QUOTE]
Just think about all the possibilities. I mean there must be isolated colonies of microorganisms like that all around the world, you just have to be lucky enough to find them.
[QUOTE=ah!panic;46877596]That's why this discovery is great, now we can fatten our cows even faster. No but seriously, you're right, along with what ZakkShock said.[/QUOTE]
yeah but it targets fat so it's for weight loss!!!!
[QUOTE=toaster468;46877570]Isn't the problem really from other species though. I thought one of the biggest contributors to resistant bacteria were farm animals. (Of course it is technically our fault from giving it to them in the first place)[/QUOTE]
Not exactly, I mean, it's true that in cattle the process will be accelerated through the sheer physical throughput and often CONSTANT abuse of antibiotics but organism adapting to survive a threat is literally the very basis of evolution. If you keep nearly-but-not wiping out a very rapidly procreating species (which bacterium is, from our point of view), you will get to watch how it evolves to endure and eventually ignore it entirely.
[QUOTE=Tone Float;46877830]Cool, a new antibiotic. I actually just used this as an opportunity to start my first Wikipedia article.[/QUOTE]
That's actually a pretty nice article, good job.
[QUOTE=Cushie;46878249]do doctors nowadays warn of this? i feel like less people would do it if doctors said something like you absolutely must take all of them even if you start feeling better otherwise you are putting yourself at risk[/QUOTE]
Isn't that, it's just people don't care. They think they know better than the doctor and it ends up screwing them over.
Looks like the earths antibiotics are useless against us once again.
[QUOTE=ZakkShock;46877557]If the doctor tells you to take antibiotics for 14 days, don't fuckin' decide on day 11 that you're feeling better and don't need them anymore. You're single handedly engineering our doomsday[/QUOTE]
Sorry I fucked up and now our Overlords are hailing me as a nobleman
wow, like the end of an episode of star trek when all hope is lost, an antidote is found...
[QUOTE=Cushie;46878249]do doctors nowadays warn of this? i feel like less people would do it if doctors said something like you absolutely must take all of them even if you start feeling better otherwise you are putting yourself at risk[/QUOTE]
When I had mycoplasma, my doctor just said that I needed to take them all even if I started to feel better, but he didn't say why.
[QUOTE=Buck.;46878275]Just think about all the possibilities. I mean there must be isolated colonies of microorganisms like that all around the world, you just have to be lucky enough to find them.[/QUOTE]
Somewhere out there behind a shed is some kind of bubonic ebola anthrax.
[QUOTE=ScottyWired;46882077]Somewhere out there behind a shed is some kind of bubonic ebola anthrax.[/QUOTE]
And inside the shed is a colony of bacteria that only eats cancerous cells.
[QUOTE]The researchers also believe that bacteria are unlikely to develop resistance to teixobactin.
It targets fats which are essential for building the bacterial cell wall, and the scientists argue it would be difficult to evolve resistance.
"Here is an antibiotic that essentially evolved to be free of resistance," said Prof Lewis. "We haven't seen that before.[/QUOTE]
If it does develop a resistance, the bacterial cell wall would be so radically different that it'd probably have different binding proteins or a different chemistry that would make it harmless to our biology.
[QUOTE=ZakkShock;46877557]If the doctor tells you to take antibiotics for 14 days, don't fuckin' decide on day 11 that you're feeling better and don't need them anymore. You're single handedly engineering our doomsday[/QUOTE]
CDC has said several times that the main cause of antibiotic-resistant bacteria is farming: filling animals with growth hormones that make them sick, and then filling them with anti-biotics to stop it. We are of course eating said animals, which makes it all the more disgusting.
Humans not properly using their prescribed antibiotics is a very small issue in comparison.
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