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Drug-resistant superbugs on the rise It seems that for years the medical community has been warning the public about the potential for a "superbug" to form - a bacteria that is resistant to the majority of antibiotics currently on the market. Still, many parents - and even doctors - understand the risk but fill antibiotics prescriptions anyway. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, virtually all significant bacterial infections in the world are becoming resistant to the antibiotic treatment of choice. There are even bacteria that resist single, double, or multiple antibiotics, making treatment and the threat of a superbug even more real. Ear Infection Woes Recently, researchers have discovered a strain of bacteria resistant to all approved drugs used to fight ear infections in children, according to an article published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Two pediatricians discovered the drug-resistant ear infection strain after performing tympanocentesis (ear tap) on children whose ear infections did not clear up with the general course of antibiotics. The ear tap process involves puncturing the ear drum and draining fluid. Subsequent testing of the fluid can determine the bacterial strain causing the infection. The children who were not benefitting from antibiotics were found to have a superbug named 19A. The bacterial strain could only be killed by the antibiotic levofloxacin, a medication not approved for use in children. Desperation mandated the doctors treat the children with the powerful antibiotic rather than have them face further illness or permanent hearing loss. Resistant Staph Drug-resistant staph infections have been in the news as of late, again drawing attention to superbugs. Staph infections, which range from urinary tract infections to bacterial pneumonia are caused by the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus). In the 1940s, staph became resistant to penicillin. Today S. aureus is resistant to all but some of the most lethal antibiotics. There are even reports that the most powerful treatment is no longer effective. Stopping Superbugs For years experts have been warning that doctors need to determine if bacteria is at play with regard to illness before prescribing antibiotics. It's now recommended that they go even further to determine the strain so that the proper antibiotic can be used. Antibiotics should not be prescribed for illnesses such as colds or the flu for "comfort sake," because these are viruses and are unaffected by antibiotics. Task force agencies chaired by the CDC and the FDA continue to educate and find ways to combat drug-resistant bacteria. The success of the plan - known as the Public Health Action Plan to Combat Antimicrobial Resistance - depends on the cooperation of many entities, such as state and local health agencies, universities, professional societies, pharmaceutical companies, healthcare professionals, agricultural producers, and the public. How Resistance Happens Bacteria reside all around us. Many are helpful and not at all a danger. Some are capable of causing serious infections. To treat bacteria-caused infections, antibiotics must halt or kill the growth of bacteria. Some bacteria have developed resistance to antibiotics naturally over time. Others have become resistant to drugs other ways. Many develoop resistance to certain drugs spontaneously through mutation. Mutations are changes that occur in the genetic material, or DNA, of the bacteria. These changes allow the bacteria to fight or inactivate the antibiotic. Bacteria can also become resistant through exchanging genes with other bacteria. Rapid growth of bacteria and a sort of "mating" creates combinations of bacteria that are not affected by drugs.
If an antibiotic is prescribed and absolutely necessary, a person should not skip doses or stop taking it as soon as they feel better; they should complete the full course of the medication. Otherwise, the drug may not kill all the infectious bacteria, allowing the remaining bacteria to possibly become resistant.
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