Are you ready for a world without antibiotics?

[ohgodalex]

I don't recall using them ever.

 

[Jonatron]

I'm hoping we make super micro robots in time. We can use them to fight the bacteria! Until they also turn on us.

Nanomachines?!

Never had antibiotics in all my 16 years in this world, I don't think. I just hope I don't need them when they're not there.

 

[crudus]

Yeah I have known about this for some time. I honestly have no idea what will happen.

I'm hoping we make super micro robots in time. We can use them to fight the bacteria! Until they also turn on us.

Ah, but then we make even more powerful micro robots!

I can see it now. Mechanical viruses! Lets see bacteria get resistant to that!

 

[Jedamethis]

Yeah I have known about this for some time. I honestly have no idea what will happen.

I'm hoping we make super micro robots in time. We can use them to fight the bacteria! Until they also turn on us.

Ah, but then we make even more powerful micro robots!

I can see it now. Mechanical viruses! Lets see bacteria get resistant to that!

Maybe virus isn't the best word...

 

[verindae]

I don't use Antibiotics often, and when i do, it's usually just for the common cold.

You do realise that the common cold (acute viral nasopharyngitis) as it states in the name is a virus, antibiotics don't do anything for it. This is half the problem, people taking antibiotics for things they don't do anything for :/

not true not true at all, the common cold can lead to sinus infections bronchitis or pneumonia, so you must load your self with antibiotics so it wont happen, but pray it works, for if it does not the infection that takes root wont be leaving any time soon.

You do realise that the chances of a cold turning to some sort of chronic respiratory infection aren't high enough, especially amongst the healthy majority, to warrant loading up on antibiotics. Most colds last for about a week or so and are gone, no troubles. It's a much saner approach to treat an infection if it occurs and not load up on drugs for something that probably won't happen.

That's not to say there aren't cases where people with pre-existing respiratory problems should be given some, in some cases that's a good idea, but for the most part it's just daft.

sarcasm is hard to tell in text, i was hoping the clear stupidity of my point would make it clear. its sarcasm.

but to clarify, i was being sarcastic to a extent, and even in that case, you could ezly do more damage than the possible damage you might of prevented, your body relies on bacteria, antibiotics kills good with the bad, and if you don't have bad, than your only killing good, and in the long run, killing your self, i have known people who have almost completely killed all there good bacteria in there digestive system from fighting nasty infections, now there digestive system is all f'ed up, and makes there life very unpleasant to say the least.

lol my apologies, I've come across a lot of really stupid arguments in my time so I think I've lost the ability to spot the sarcasm in text form

 

[tofulove]

also for the record, i do not have any antibiotics house hold items, other than in my medicine cabinet, i only used those on a small wound that was made by some thing very dirty, like a splinter from a filthy deck. -if it bleed a lot it wont get infected, if it barely bleeds if at all, it might if its not clean. but in vast majority of the time, simply cleaning it with running water is enough.

 

[Danny Ocean]

And this is the optimistic view ? based on the assumption that drug companies can and will get moving on discovering new antibiotics to throw at the bacterial enemy. Since the 1990s, when pharma found itself twisting and turning down blind alleys, it has not shown a great deal of enthusiasm for difficult antibiotic research. And besides, because, unlike with heart medicines, people take the drugs for a week rather than life, and because resistance means the drugs become useless after a while, there is just not much money in it.

So... We could be in a much better position, but we're not, because the drug companies don't really care about health?

Great. Just great.

 

[crudus]

Maybe virus isn't the best word...

Virus gave me the best picture of what the nanobots would do. I was thinking go into the bacteria and either create more nanobots from the bacteria or just kill it from the inside.

 

[tofulove]

And this is the optimistic view ? based on the assumption that drug companies can and will get moving on discovering new antibiotics to throw at the bacterial enemy. Since the 1990s, when pharma found itself twisting and turning down blind alleys, it has not shown a great deal of enthusiasm for difficult antibiotic research. And besides, because, unlike with heart medicines, people take the drugs for a week rather than life, and because resistance means the drugs become useless after a while, there is just not much money in it.

So... We could be in a much better position, but we're not, because the drug companies don't really care about health?

Great. Just great.

hun, drug companies wont cure any thing, more money in treatment, don't expect the cure to cancer aids, or to any thing else that matters from a drug company, hell, i would not be surprised if they already came up with some miracle cures, but simply keep it hiden cause it would kill profits

 

[Jedamethis]

Maybe virus isn't the best word...

Virus gave me the best picture of what the nanobots would do. I was thinking go into the bacteria and either create more nanobots from the bacteria or just kill it from the inside.

I just thought that a second before you replied, sounds good.
Now where can we find someone to create these...

 

[verindae]

And this is the optimistic view ? based on the assumption that drug companies can and will get moving on discovering new antibiotics to throw at the bacterial enemy. Since the 1990s, when pharma found itself twisting and turning down blind alleys, it has not shown a great deal of enthusiasm for difficult antibiotic research. And besides, because, unlike with heart medicines, people take the drugs for a week rather than life, and because resistance means the drugs become useless after a while, there is just not much money in it.

So... We could be in a much better position, but we're not, because the drug companies don't really care about health?

Great. Just great.

hun, drug companies wont cure any thing, more money in treatment, don't expect the cure to cancer aids, or to any thing else that matters from a drug company, hell, i would not be surprised if they already came up with some miracle cures, but simply keep it hiden cause it would kill profits

Yeah, unfortunately this is how it works, money is the great motivator :/
Of course fear of death is a great motivator too, maybe we need to re-evaluate how the world deals with pharmaceutical companies lol

 

[Denamic]

not true not true at all, the common cold can lead to sinus infections bronchitis or pneumonia, so you must load your self with antibiotics so it wont happen, but pray it works, for if it does not the infection that takes root wont be leaving any time soon.

You take antibiotics when you've got an infection of sorts.
If you load up on antibiotics simply as a preventative measure, you're gonna go immune to it on top of weakening your own immune system to future infections.
To sum it up: Don't do that. It's fucking stupid.

 

[Sonicron]

Wonderful. So on top of an increasing percentage of autoimmune diseases in industrial nations (due to what I can only describe as antibacterial carpet bombing) we've finally reached the point of becoming resistant to antibiotics? Dear Lord, am I glad to be in the care of a doctor who doesn't just toss a batch of penicillin my way at the slightest boo-boo. Antibiotics are supposed to be applied only in extreme circumstances, goddammit!

 

[WIUtomato]

See, this is why I never take them! Also, I drink from the toilet... you know, to build up immunities to the various parasites and bacterium that live there... Yeah, I'm kidding. Sorry to say, but this is old news, but I don't think they are just going to go away. Doctors will still prescribe them, even with diminishing returns. Half the problem is that they always put you on Anti-Bs, regardless of what you have. The Flu: Anti-Bs. The flu is caused by a virus, which we, despite all our modern medical advances, have precisely zero success defeating. We can bolster immune systems (hence the Anti-Bs), or introduce weakened forms of the virus, and treat symptoms, but when you get right down to it, your body will either win or lose the battle w/ any virus. It's one of those funny little things doctors never seem to mention... If you want to be scared, viruses are where it's at. Now, come on Solanum! ;-)

 

[Sneaklemming]

You think theyll look back at in the future and point to us, and say "How were they so irresponsible"

 

[verindae]

You think theyll look back at in the future and point to us, and say "How were they so irresponsible"

Assuming we make it that far, i have no doubt they will

 

[Johnnyallstar]

This article is also assuming that there is no studying going on towards the development of future antibiotics, and that these "super-strains" will be so tough that nothing will kill them without killing the host.

But, as medicine keeps getting publicized, the governments will most likely save money by stopping development. Though it looks as if many countries right now are figuring out that private medicine is where all the substantial growth and future is.

 

[SalamanderJoe]

Luckily I have a natural anitdote to everything. Except headaches. And colds. And flu.

 

[PhantomCritic]

Future generations will probably laugh at us for this.