This is bigger news than the play its getting

[Beaker]

(11-25-2015, 04:24 AM)fredtoast Wrote: How do these bacteria pass genetic traits to another bacteria?

Bacteria multiply by splitting, not by breeding with other bacteria.

That's only one method by which bacteria multiply. They can also transmit a separate loop of genetic material called a plasmid to other bacteria via a process called bacterial conjugation...a kind of bacterial sex if you will. The problem is that so many strains of bacteria are so similar, that they can transfer this material to other similar bacteria that aren't even exactly the same strain as themselves.

https://highered.mheducation.com/sites/9834092339/student_view0/chapter28/bacterial_conjugation_-_transfer_of_a_plasmid.html

[Au165]

(11-25-2015, 12:24 AM)Beaker Wrote: The strain has not only evolved resistance, but is passing that gene to other strains of bacteria. That's what makes it so worrysome. It has the potential to spread total bacterial resistance to all antibiotics very quickly.....more quickly than we can develop new methods to combat it. I suspect we may have to take an entirely new approach to the problem, maybe gene therapy or something similar.

As I said, we see the problem and will figure it out. It has been long understood this would happen eventually in the medical community, but it's just a matter of finding a new solution to the problem. it may be a new delivery method, it may be some sort of targeted approach, it could be masking, etc. With it becoming more of an issue it will get more research money from pharmaceutical. Historically little has been spent on development because the drugs we have had for years did the job, and there was little money to be made because all the patents had expired. With those drugs becoming less effective expect an uptick in new drugs as there is now a need and the ability to put out a patent-able drug that can be used by a large portion of the population.

[*michaelsean*]

We will probably find out it is resistant to anti-biotics, but sugar is lethal to it. Your doc will write you a script for Dunkin Donuts.

[Bengalsrob]

It is definitely big (and bad) news. We have enough problems stopping MRSA infections which are staph/bacterial infections that can be caused by the improper use of antibiotics such as not finishing a prescription because "you feel fine." The bacteria that aren't killed but merely weakened develop a resistance to the antibiotics and become very,very, hard to deal with.