‘Antibiotic Apocalypse’ Now: Doctors in Panic Mode Over Rise of Drug Resistance

Biomedical scientists at a recent meeting of the American Society for Microbiology revealed that bacteria containing an mcr-1 gene which confers resistance to colistin — the “antibiotic of last resort” — has become disturbingly widespread over the 1.5 years since its discovery.

England’s chief medical officer Sally Davies described the process as a fast-approaching “antibiotic apocalypse,” and declared that if humans fail to develop new types of antibiotics or find an alternative solution, our next generations could be deprived of the ability to perform even routine medical operations. For instance, a patient could die from peritonitis if antibiotics have no effect during appendix-removal surgery.

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H/t reader squodgy:

“An acquaintance who recently had an op to remove his inflamed gall bladder acquired an infection in the scar & was sent home with no antibiotic.
He healed quite well outside the hospital environment.”