Japan confirms its first case of new superbug gene (An Election Stopper?)

(AP Via) St Augustine.com ^ | 09/07/2010 | SHINO YUASA

[devane617]

Japan has confirmed the nation's first case of a new gene in bacteria that allows the microorganisms to become drug-resistant superbugs, detected in a man who had medical treatment in India, a Health Ministry official said Tuesday.

The gene, known as NDM-1, was found in a Japanese man in his 50s, Kensuke Nakajima said.

Researchers say the gene — which appears to be circulating widely in India — alters bacteria, making them resistant to nearly all known antibiotics.

Drug-resistant bacteria are not new. Many bacteria are resistant to the world's first antibiotic, penicillin, as well as successive generations of drugs. Excessive use and improper use of antibiotics have exacerbated the problem and led to the emergence of superbugs.

[devane617]

Stuff like this scares me. If anything at all will halt an election it will be something like this.

[MetaThought]

I wouldn’t worry that much. People mostly get resistant strains from the hospital, because normal bacteria still have an advantage in the wild.

This is because the drug resistance generally imposes some other inefficiency on the bacteria, allowing the strain to be outcompeted.

[To Hell With Poverty]

Well. So much for my Obamacare-necessitated medical tourism hopes.

[Southack]

Oh please. Superbugs are routinely destroyed by phages when antibiotics fail to work.

Much ado about nothing...

[Liberty1970]

Most 'superbugs' are actually cripples that, due to a fluke side effect of what is crippling them, survive the anti-biotic. For example, alter the gene for a porin gateway (utilized by an anti-biotic to access a bacterium), and the result is a deformed gateway that blocks access, both to the good nutrients for which it exists and the anti-biotic. In the absence of the anti-biotic (which is the vast majority of the time, the crippled population declines due to natural selection.

The sensationalist news media routinely fails to explain what the physical mechanisms of the anti-biotic resistance are - sensationalism sells.

[devane617]

Ok, so none of you got it....A refresher....Remember the scare about a year ago reference the flu strain that all but paralyzed the country? Remember all the school systems that shut down? remember the panic that set in almost the entire country? remember all the billions we spent because Obama and company said we ALL must be vaccinated against the flu? remember????

so now that we know how people react, lets try a 'superbug'....could they (Obama and company) use this as a way to stop/postpone elections? hell yes! think....

[Southack]

You’re an idiot.